Sonam Kapoor Ahuja On Changing Her Name: “It’s My Choice!”

The true idea of feminism is having a choice and equal opportunity, says newly wed actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, who chose to add her husband Anand Ahuja’s surname and was at the receiving end of comments and criticism.

Sonam, who dazzled on the red carpet of the 71st Cannes Film Festival, spoke to select media in a video chat from the gala, where she represented cosmetic brand L’Oreal Paris.

“I am a true feminist and I believe in choice. Nobody told me to change my name after marriage. I decided to do it by myself. The whole idea of feminism is to have equal opportunity and choice to do what I want to do. That choice should be mine,” Sonam said.

“I always said that I am a feminist and I have the choice to change and not change my name. Kapoor is my family name, so is Ahuja. I am a part of that family too, so I chose to keep both the names. In fact, Anand has also changed his name and nobody noticed that. It is my personal choice,” added the daughter of veteran actor Anil Kapoor.

Sonam married longtime beau Anand on May 8. She immediately changed her name to Sonam Kapoor Ahuja on all her social media accounts after the marriage ceremony got over.

“Taking your father’s name as the last name is a practice. That is how you show respect to your father. You can give the same respect to your husband using his name as the last name. It is the same thing. It is a cyclical thing.”

“One can break it and give their child a new surname but it takes a lot of effort. It is a complicated discussion, but at this point in time, this is my choice,” she said.

Her new film Veere Di Wedding is all set to release on June 1.

Asked if she would be working in films as enthusiastically as she did before marriage, Sonam said: “Well, people are asking me these questions, which is sad. I do not think it has really changed that much.

“I know it for a fact that Kajol, who also got married at the peak of her career worked. Actresses like Dimple Kapadia, Waheeda Rehman also worked after marriage. In fact, Madhuri Dixit did a film like ‘Devdas’ after marriage.”

“I think as women we should come together and understand that it should be always a choice. And that should not be taken away. I am also making sure that I am leading a normal life of coming back to work after marriage and doing what I do the best,” added the Khoobsurat actress.