Did Akshay Kumar give up Indian citizenship for Canadian passport? Hera Pheri actor’s passport row explained

In a recent interaction, actor Akshay Kumar re-emphasized that he is giving up his Canadian passport, effectively renouncing it and getting an Indian passport again. The actor has been trolled for years over his citizenship, which he had applied for in the 90s. While much has been said and written about his citizenship status, the actor says he feels bad about all the talk. So, what exactly is the controversy behind the actor’s citizenship?

When did Akshay Kumar get a Canadian passport?

Akshay Kumar was born Rajiv Hariom Bhatia in Delhi. He was an Indian citizens and remained so when he made his debut as an actor in Khiladi in the early 90s. Even though Akshay Kumar found success with his initial films, there came a time in the mid-90s when a lot of his films began failing at the box office one after the other. In a recent interaction with Aajtak, he recalled that it was then that he decided to apply for Canadian citizenship on a friend’s insistence. “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,” he said.

Does India have dual citizenship?

India does not allow dual citizenship, which means that Akshay Kumar had to renounced his Indian citizenship when he was accepted in Canada. Since then, he has been a Canadian citizen. However, the actor did not move here. He revealed that after he got accepted, his two films that were lined up for release became hits, and he returned to India for work.

Akshay Kumar’s citizenship status

Akshay Kumar said in 2019 that he was giving up his Canadian passport and re-applying for his Indian passport. Last year, in a conversation with Hindustan Times, he revealed that he had applied but due to the pandemic, the process had been delayed. “I applied for it. Then the pandemic happened and everything shut down for 2-2.5 years. My renounce letter is here and very soon my whole passport will be coming,” he had said. In his most recent interview, he again reiterated that his Indian passport will be with him soon as he has renounced his Canadian passport.