Before Bollywood gave them fame, millions of fans and magazine covers, many of its biggest stars were simply known by their family nicknames. Kareena Kapoor was Bebo, Karisma Kapoor was Lolo, Rishi Kapoor was Chintu and Hrithik Roshan was Duggu. These names existed long before the actors became household names.
The stories behind some of these nicknames are just as interesting as the names themselves. Kareena and Karisma’s childhood names came from their father Randhir Kapoor, who wanted the names to rhyme. Karisma became Lolo and Kareena became Bebo. At the time, these were simply names used at home. Nobody could have imagined that Bebo would eventually become almost as closely associated with Kareena Kapoor as her real name.
The Kapoor family has always had its own collection of unusual nicknames. Rishi Kapoor was known as Chintu, while his brothers Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor were called Dabboo and Chimpu. It is an amusing contrast considering the stardom that eventually came to the family.
The next generation continued the tradition. Ranbir Kapoor, another major star from the family, was given the nickname Raymond by his mother Neetu Kapoor. The name was never meant to become part of his public identity. It simply belonged to his childhood and family life.
Hrithik Roshan also had a nickname that stayed with him long after he became a star. He was called Duggu. His father Rakesh Roshan was known as Guddu, and the family nickname followed a similar pattern. Years later, Hrithik became one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable actors, known for his dancing, screen presence and films, but to his family he remained Duggu.
Amitabh Bachchan, too, had a very different childhood name. The legendary actor was called Munna when he was young. It is difficult to connect the simple nickname with the larger than life image of the star known for films such as Deewaar, Sholay and Zanjeer.
Other stars also carried memorable names before becoming famous. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was called Gullu, Alia Bhatt was Aloo and Shahid Kapoor was known as Sasha. Some nicknames remained private, while others eventually became part of popular culture.
There are also stars whose nicknames became closely linked with their public identity. Rajesh Khanna was known as Kaka, Sanjay Dutt as Baba, Govinda as Chi Chi and Jackie Shroff as Jaggu Dada.
These names offer a glimpse into a side of Bollywood that fans rarely see. Before the fame, interviews, awards and carefully created public images, these actors were simply children being called by names their families gave them.
Behind every Bebo, Lolo, Chintu or Duggu was a person who had no idea that one day millions would know their names. There was simply a childhood nickname, and then Bollywood happened.
