Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has recently announced that he will be renouncing his Canadian passport and obtaining Indian citizenship. The move has drawn attention and sparked debates in the media, with many hailing him as a true patriot and a role model for young Indians.
In a recent interview, Akshay Kumar revealed that he had decided to renounce his Canadian citizenship because he felt that “India is everything to me… Whatever I have earned, whatever I have gained is from here. And I’m fortunate that I get a chance to give back. You feel bad when people say things without knowing anything…,” the 55-year-old star said. He further added, “I thought that ‘bhai, my films are not working and one has to work’. I went there for work. My friend was in Canada and he said, ‘come here’. I applied and I got in”.
“I had just two films left for release and it is just luck that they both became superhit. My friend said, ‘go back, start working again’. I got some more films and I kept getting more work. I forgot that I had the passport. I never thought that I should get this passport changed but now yes, I have applied to get my passport changed and once I get the renounced status from Canada…”, shared Akshay.
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Akshay, known for his films such as “Hera Pheri”, “Namastey London”, “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha” and “Padman”, also spoke about a lean phase in his career when he delivered more than 15 flops. This was in the 1990s. The poor box office performance of his films pushed him to apply for Canadian citizenship, he said.
Akshay Kumar’s decision to renounce his Canadian passport and obtain Indian citizenship is a brave and commendable step. While there may be some who criticize his decision, it is clear that he has always had a strong connection to India and that he genuinely wants to contribute more to his country. His decision is a reminder that success should not come at the cost of one’s identity and that being true to oneself and one’s country is the greatest achievement of all.