Internet sensation Malaika Arora enjoys a huge fan following on social media. She has been making a name for herself for quite some time now. She had left everyone in shock, when she had announced her separation from her then-husband of 18 years, actor Arbaaz Khan. The actress had gone on to drop his surname from her name for which she had received a lot of judgement from outsiders. She spoke about the same during a recent media interaction.
Talking at the India Today Conclave 2023, Malaika shed light on the fact that even though she received a lot of benefits by adding Khan to her name, she didn’t want to rely on it for the rest of her life. She expressed that while the famous surname did give her a lot of opportunities and opened many doors for her, she had to work for herself and prove herself everyday, irrespective of whether she kept the surname. ALSO READ: Malaika Arora Gets UNCOMFORTABLE After A Fan Came Too Close For PICS At Airport; Actress Loses Her Cool, Says, ‘Aram Se’-See VIDEO
She went on to recall how people warned her against the decision. Many even told her she was making the nuggets mistake of her life. Quoted by Times Now, she said, “I had loads of people tell me that I am making the biggest mistake of dropping the surname. A lot of people telling me 'you don't realise the weightage a surname has’.” ALSO READ: Arjun Kapoor Joins Malaika Arora’s Mother Joyce’s 70th Birthday Celebration; Cuts The Cake With The Family- Take A Look
The 49-year-old added that dropping the surname, and going back to her maiden surname gave her a sense of self. She said, “I needed to stand on my own two feet... and not just about the surname. For me being able to drop the surname and going back to my maiden surname, it just gave me a sense of self. That just made me feel I could take on or do anything in life.”
For the unversed, Malaika and Arbaaz officially got a divoce in 2017, ending their 18 years of marriage. They are co-parenting their son Arhaan. Currently, Malaika is happily dating actor Arjun Kapoor and Arbaaz is reportedly in a relationship with Giorgina Andriani.
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