Sonam Kapoor explains why she changed to Sonam K Ahuja after marriage

These are good times for actress Sonam Kapoor. She recently got married to long-time boyfriend Anand Ahuja, and the happy occasion was followed by a professional high as her film Veere Di Wedding (2018) did well at the box office.

In India, it is common practice for women to take their husband's name after marriage. In recent years, film personalities have merely added the husband's surname to their own. Sonam changed her Twitter handle to Sonam K Ahuja after marriage.

Speaking to the website Firstpost.com, the actress gave a long explanation for the move. Apparently, the newlyweds took inspiration from Anand Ahuja's friend.

“Anand and I had a very long conversation, you know, and we obviously want to have kids eventually, and he had this one friend who had a very long name, his mother’s name, father’s name, blah blah blah. I said, 'See, anyway, it’s a patriarchal concept, I have my father’s last name, I don’t have my mother’s name, and I want to be part of your family as well, and he wanted to be a part of mine'. So first he said, 'Shall I do Anand Ahuja Kapoor or Anand Kapoor Ahuja? And you do Sonam Kapoor Ahuja?' I was like, 'That’s still my father’s name, no?' How will my kids have my name in some way? Then he said, 'Should I keep Sonam in the middle?' So I said fine," Sonam told the website.

While she is now publicly known as Sonam K Ahuja, the actress stated that her name on her passport will be 'Sonam Kapoor Ahuja'. Her choice of words below, however, comes across as puzzling.

“Now Sonam Kapoor Ahuja becomes very long, but in our passports I’ll be Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and he will be Anand Sonam Ahuja. Which I think is amazing. Because I wanted to have the same name as my child and I wanted my child to have my name as well. For now this was the best compromise we could come with, where our child has both our names which has nothing to do with my father, but I still have my father’s name because I love him and my progressive thoughts come from him, but I also wanted my husband’s name and he wanted my name,” she said.

While the film is a success now, ‘Sonam K Ahuja’ spoke of the struggles that the team faced to get the project going.

“We were not getting the finance we deserved and needed for the film till somehow Ekta [Kapoor] and my sister Rhea fought tooth and nail to get money. I know many people have made fun of the product placements, but we had no choice. I was like, you try make a film with four women leads out of which one is about to get married, one is married and a mother, the other is considered a krantikaari (laughs), Swara Bhasker, who is leftist, and Shikha Talsania that not many people know and who’s bigger than typical female leads. In such a misogynistic society, what do you expect? So it’s validation and hugely surprising that it is doing so well,” she said.

Sonam will be seen next on the big screen in a cameo in the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Sanju, which is due for release on 29 June. Her next project is Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.