Actor Akshay Kumar, who had Canadian citizenship for several years before becoming an Indian citizen this year, has explained his decision to hold Canadian citizenship. In an interview with news agency ANI, Akshay Kumar revealed that he initially became a Canadian citizen because his films were not performing well at the time, and he had faced a series of failures with “13 to 14 flop films.” Akshay’s Canadian citizenship had been a subject of criticism, but he officially announced his Indian citizenship on Independence Day this year.
Speaking about becoming a Canadian citizen, Akshay stated, “I became a Canadian because my films were not doing well at one time, and I gave 13 to 14 flop films. At that time, my friend used to live in Canada and he said you come here and we will work on something. My friend had offered me that we would do cargo business together. I said okay, my films are also not going well, and a person has to work, no matter where he is. When I started living in Toronto, I got a Canadian passport. In between that, two films were left for release. After the two movies got released, they became big superhits. I told him that I was going back. Then I got more films and reached here today. But I never thought people got a hold of it; it was just a travel document. I just pay my taxes, and I am the highest taxpayer.”
Regarding his decision to obtain Indian citizenship, he explained, “For 9 to 10 years I didn’t go there. It’s a very nice place, and one of my best friends is there. I decided that I should take my citizenship. It was just a coincidence that I had received a letter on 15th August that I had got citizenship. But it is not just a passport; it is your mind, your heart, your soul that has to be Indian. What is the point if I do have an Indian passport, but my soul, mind, and heart are not Indian?”
Akshay Kumar had previously addressed the criticism about his Canadian citizenship in 2019 when he mentioned that he didn’t understand the negativity surrounding the subject.
