Did you know? Shah Rukh Khan changed his name to Jeetendra Kumar Tulli to marry Gauri Khan

In Pic: Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan (Pic/Instagram)

Shah Rukh Khan is renowned for his hard work, good looks, and magnetic personality, which have earned him a massive fan base. He is also famous for his exceptional wit and sense of humour. Known as the "Badshaah of Bollywood," it's evident that Shah Rukh Khan has been a clever jokester from the very beginning and one episode from Mushtaq Sheikh's book, ‘Shah Rukh Can', based on Shah Rukh's life, will undoubtedly convince you of his comedic talent.

Many are familiar with the story of how Shah Rukh and Gauri overcame several challenges to marry in an interfaith ceremony. However, not many know that Shah Rukh Khan changed his name in order to marry Gauri.

The Jawan actor was asked to change his name for his Hindu wedding with Gauri, which he did. When he was about to marry Gauri in a Hindu ceremony, King Khan changed his Muslim name, Shah Rukh Khan to Jeetendra Kumar Tulli.

According to Sheikh's book, SRK changed his name to Jeetendra Kumar Tulli to pay homage to two former stars, Jeetendra and Rajendra Kumar, whose full name is Rajendra Kumar Tulli.

Another reason Shah Rukh selected the name Jeetendra was because his grandmother thought he looked like the original 'Himmatwala' of Bollywood! Not only Shah Rukh but also his wife Gauri had to change her name for their nikah (Muslim wedding ritual). According to the book, she changed her name from Gauri to Ayesha.

Because of their religious differences, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri encountered several challenges from their families before their marriage. Gauri's mother was initially adamantly against her daughter's marriage to Shah Rukh. Gauri shared how their families were worried about their wedding on the show ‘First Ladies'.

Gauri said, "We were so young and then to take a decision to get married and to a person who is going to join films, and being from a different religion."

In another interesting anecdote, Gauri said that her husband had changed his name from Shah Rukh to Abhinav in order to fool her parents into thinking he was a Hindu boy.

"We changed his name to Abhinav so they (her parents) feel he is a Hindu boy but that was really silly and very childish," Gauri stated.

For the unversed, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri married in October 1991. Aryan, Suhana, and AbRam Khan are their three children. The duo is now preparing for the release of their forthcoming film, Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and produced by Gauri Khan.