New Delhi: Bollywood star Akshay Kumar admitted Friday that he was a Canadian citizen, which means he is obligated to “bear true allegiance To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second”.
Every immigrant must pledge the following when Canada grants them citizenship: I swear (or affirm)/That I will be faithful/And bear true allegiance/To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second/Queen of Canada Her Heirs and Successors/And that I will faithfully observe/The laws of Canada/And fulfil my duties/As a Canadian citizen.”
Kumar is known to make movies with strong nationalistic themes and has been involved in martyrs welfare initiatives, like an app to crowdfund compensation for their families. His citizenship, however, has been a matter of much speculation over the years, with the actor himself making different statements about it on different occasions.
The controversy came to the fore again when he refused to respond to a journalist who asked him why he hadn’t voted while his wife Twinkle Khanna had.
“I really don’t understand the unwarranted interest and negativity about my citizenship,” he tweeted Friday in response to the controversy.
“I have never hidden or denied that I hold a Canadian passport,” he added, “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”.
He called his decision to take up Canadian citizenship a “personal, legal, non political” matter which is “of no consequence to others”.
Details unknown
Kumar has been evasive about his citizenship in the past. He has claimed he has dual citizenship, even though it’s a concept not allowed in India.
The date and year Kumar acquired citizenship remain unknown, though a 2012 article from the Vancouver Observer stated that Kumar was granted citizenship “within weeks” even as some other bona fide applicants’ requests were denied.
In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Windsor for his “outstanding” contribution to film. In 2010, Canada announced Kumar would be the Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC’s) new tourism ambassador for India.
In 2017, in an interview with Times Now, Kumar claimed he was an “honorary citizen” of Canada:
“About the Canadian thing. I am an honorary citizen. I have been given an honorary thing. It is a thing that people should be proud of. I have an honorary doctorate as well. But main doctor nahi ban gaya. So, this is what people have to understand.”
Only six people have been awarded honorary citizenships by Canada, and Kumar does not feature on the list. They are: Raoul Wallenberg (1985 Posthumous), Nelson Mandela (2001), Tenzin Gyatso – The Dalai Lama (2006), Aung San Suu Kyi (2007, revoked in 2018), Karim Aga Khan IV (2010) and Malala Yousafzai (2014).