Neha Dhupia is a familiar face in Indian cinema and popular culture. If not for the movies, Neha would have had a very different name and perhaps, a very different destiny. In a recent conversation on mid-day`s The Bombay Film Story, the actress fondly recalled how her parents had originally planned to name her Nirvana, a choice rooted in meaning and intent, before fate- and a movie- intervened.

Neha Dhupia on story behind her name 

“My name that my parents had decided for me was Nirvana,” Neha shared, recounting a story she has heard many times growing up. As the tale goes, when her parents reached the registration office, it was lunchtime. Instead of waiting, they stepped out to watch a film. One of the characters in the movie was named Neha and that was that. “They were just like, Nirvana, Neha. But it would have worked,” she said with a smile, acknowledging how effortlessly the switch happened.