‘Having a Canadian passport doesn’t mean I’m any less of an Indian,’ says Akshay Kumar on his Canadian citizenship row

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has time and again been trolled for his Canadian citizenship. The actor, who is known for delivering almost half a dozen films every year, has been facing backlash for holding a Canadian passport for a long time now. Netizens clearly seem to have an issue with him for not having Indian citizenship and still talking about promoting patriotism through his films.

Kumar has spoken about his citizenship row several times over the years. In 2019, he even promised he would soon apply for an Indian passport. However, the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench into the works and the actor is yet to do the same. He talked about the same issue yet again at a recent event and said,

“Having a Canadian passport does not mean I am any less of an Indian. I am very much Indian. I have been here for the last nine years since I got my passport. And I don’t want to get into the reason of why what happened, my films were not working, blah blah blah, chalo woh theek hai,” Khiladi Kumar said.

“Yes, I had said it in 2019, I applied for it. Then the pandemic happened and things came to a halt. Renounce ka abhi mera letter aa gaya hai. Main kya karu, maine thodi pandemic laya hai,” Kumar added.

Back in 2019, Akshay took to his Twitter handle to speak about his Canadian citizenship. He wrote, "I really don't understand the unwarranted interest and negativity about my citizenship. I have never hidden or denied that I hold a Canadian passport. It is also equally true that I have not visited Canada in the last seven years. I work in India and pay all my taxes in India. While all these years, I have never needed to prove my love for India to anyone, I find it disappointing that my citizenship issue is constantly dragged into needless controversy, a matter that is personal, legal, non-political, and of no consequence to others. I want to continue contributing in my small way to the causes that I believe in and make India stronger and stronger."

At the recent event, Kumar also opened up about doing too many films at the same time. “I do four films a year. Yes, I do it. I do ads, sure. I work, not stealing from anyone. I don’t understand. People ask me why do you get up early. But morning is for waking up, right? I don’t understand what I am doing wrong. I will work. I will give 50 days if required and 90 days if needed,” he said.

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