Is ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ Amrit Kaur Related to Poet Rupi Kaur?

HBO Max’s Sex Lives of College Girls premiered on November 18, 2021. The show follows a cast of characters, including Bela Malhotra, played by actor Amrit Kaur.

Since landing the role of Bela Malhotra on HBO Max’s new original series, fans of Sex Lives of College Girls have begun to wonder if Amrit Kaur is related to the decorated poet Rupi Kaur.

Read on to get the full scope of the family tree and to discover more about both Amrit and Rupi Kaur. 

Same name, no relation for Amrit and Rupi Kaur

While Amrit and Rupi both share the name Kaur, the two are not related. While from a Western perspective it might seem Kaur is simply a surname, that isn’t always the case.

Kaur is actually a Sikh name many women take as either their middle name or surname, whereas some women choose not to use the name at all. While it can be used as a surname, it typically does not replace a family name. 

Kaur is also the fifth most common surname in India and the 54th most common surname worldwide, according to Forebears. 

The name came to be in the late 1600s in India when a major division in society was the caste system. Many Sikhs wanted a fairer world, leading Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s call for Sikh women to use the surname Kaur and men to use Singh, in an effort to erase their caste associations, according to Kaur Foundation. 

Rupi Kaur has spoken on how her Sikh identity has shaped her poetry, saying, “I read poetry and played kirtan for eight years which pushes for a kinder society for all,” according to India Today. Kirtan means “singing God’s praise,” according to Pluralism. 

Amrit Kaur has not spoken about her religion, and it is unclear if she follows the Sikh religion. 

Amrit Kaur takes on the role of Bela Malhotra 

According to IMDb, Amrit Kaur is a budding actor and producer. Her biggest role thus far has been as Bela Malhotra on Sex Lives of College Girls, where she portrays a character that is a South Asian college freshman from Nutley, New Jersey, who is sex-positive and wants to become a comedy writer.

The character of Bela can be seen trying to navigate college life alongside her three roommates Whitney, played by Alyah Chanelle Scott, Kimberly, played by Pauline Chalamet, and Leighton, played by Reneé Rapp. 

Along with her acting career, Amrit is quite active on her social media accounts. Amrit uses her Instagram account to keep her 20,000+ followers up to date on her personal life, acting gigs, and any projects she’s working on.

Amrit’s Instagram account is a great place for fans to check out her latest work. Along with reels from Sex Lives of College Girls, Amrit also has reels from her time on the Canadian LGBTQ series The D Cut, which premiered on the Crave network in June 2020. 

Rupi Kaur is a famous poet 

According to the Complex, Rupi Kaur is Instagram’s favorite poet. The 29-year-old Indian-born Canadian poet began performing her poetic works in 2009 and quickly gained recognition for her work on Instagram. Rupi now uses her Instagram account to share her poetry with her 4.4 million+ followers and keep them up to date on her world tour, which is set to kick off in 2022. 

Along with becoming a sensational “Instapoet,” Rupi also published her debut collection of poetry in the book Milk and Honey in 2014. Along with this published work, Rupi also released two more poetry books, The Sun and Her Flowers, in 2017 and Home Body in 2020. 

So while Rupi and Amrit Kaur may not share any common familial lineage, the two Kaurs do have a lot in common, like their shared experience of being raised by Indian immigrants and having a knack for the creative arts. To keep up with everything the creative Kaurs are up to, be sure to check out their Instagram accounts. 

Clarification: This article has been updated to reflect the history of the name Kaur.