Malaika Arora recalls people telling her not to drop Khan surname after divorce: It had its advantages

Malaika and Arbaaz married in 1998. Their separation was announced in March 2016 and finalized the following year. They have a son, Arhaan Khan, whom they are co-parenting.

Malaika was asked at the India Today Conclave 2023 that the credit for her success is being given to the Khan family. She replied, “It has brought a lot of benefit to my life but I don’t think I could rest easy on the fact that I had a famous surname. I don’t think that was everything I wanted to do in my life.” It opened a lot of doors for me but I feel at the end of the day I have to work despite my married surname. And, I have had to work hard to stay in the game and prove myself every day of my life And, even though I continued to work the day I had my surname and went back to my maiden name, it makes a difference.

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me the biggest mistake I’m making is dropping the surname. A lot of people are telling me ‘You have no idea how much a surname is worth.’ I have a lot of respect for my ex-in-laws and ex-family, they have given me a lot of love. I have a child, and I am very much a part of the family, but for me, I needed to stand on my own feet. ..and not just about the surname. For me being able to drop the surname and go back to my maiden surname, it just gave me a sense of self. It made me feel that I could do anything in life or I can.

During the event, Malaika also spoke on raising son Arhaan and co-parenting with Arbaaz. She also talked about her career and how she has remained relevant even after years in the industry. Malaika was last seen in her reality show Moving in with Malaika.