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'The name's Vir, Karn Vir...'
Manoj Bohra changes his name back to his original one — Karn Vir Bohra
NICOLE DASTUR
The voice message on Manoj Bohra's cellphone goes something like this: 'Hi. The artist formerly known as Manoj Bohra is now Karn Vir Bohra…' Yes, the former big bad Prem of Kasauti Zindagi Kii is no more Manoj, but Karn Vir. However, what's interesting is that it's not a new name that he has picked, rather, it's his janampatra name. "Yes, Karn Vir is my original name. It was kept by my nana, who was incidentally very close to Manoj Kumar. Around the time I was joining school, Kranti had just released and Manoj Kumar was really big. So my nana decided to name me Manoj after him. And through school, college and till date, I've stuck to Manoj," explains the actor. So why the sudden name change again? "Although I love the name Manoj, I've always wanted to go back to Karn Vir. And I think now is the perfect time to make the change, since there are so many changes happening in my life right now. I've quit television, I'm trying my hand at films, I'm essentially reinventing myself, so I want to make a completely fresh start, name included." Manoj, Karn Vir, Prem — doesn't he get confused? 'Honestly, I've always been called both Manoj and Karn Vir. Part of my family refers to me as Manoj, while some relatives still call me Karn Vir. So I respond to both names anyway. Luckily, I haven't got attached to any one name. And I love it when my fans call me by my screen name Prem. It makes me feel special. But at the end of the day, what's in a name? After all, a rose by any other name is still a rose, right?" If he had to choose between his two names, which would it be? "I'm a little more partial towards Karn Vir. My wife prefers it too. But Manoj is also very close to my heart," he says. And since namesakes don't seem to bother Manoj, err, Karn Vir too much, would he change his name again, if a numerologist told him too? "Maybe at 50! For now, I'm done with changing names," he laughs.http://epaper.timesofindia.com/
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