When Akshay Kumar revealed reason behind taking up Canadian citizenship

Akshay Kumar is currently enjoying the success of his latest film, Oh My God 2. A sequel to the 2012 film OMG, the new release features Akshay as a messenger of Lord Shiva. The film is currently receiving critical praise for its message on sex education among youngsters. The actor also revealed that on the occasion of Independence Day (August 15), he finally got an Indian citizenship, and that he has given up his Canadian citizenship. To note, He he faced a lot of criticism due to his Canadian citizenship and now an old interview of his has surfaced where he's heard speaking on why he obtained the Canadian citizenship in the first place.

3 things you need to know:

• Akshay Kumar previously had a Canadian citizenship.
• He had previously expressed to give up his citizenship.
• Akshay also became the centre of controversy after conducting an non-political interview of PM Modi in 2019.

String of flops forced Akshay Kumar to apply for CA citizenship 

During a previous interview with the Press Trust of India, Akshay revealed that there was a phase in his life where he delivered one flop after another. The string of flops came during the '90s, and he said that he’d delivered more than 15 commercially unsuccessful films continuously. That’s why he was forced to apply for Canadian citizenship.

(Akshay Kumar has often incorporated national sentimental topics in his films | Image: akshaykumar/Instagram)

There were indeed several flops from Akshay in the 1990s. Saugandh (1991), Mr Bond (1992), Deedar (1992), Amaanat (1994), Zakhmi Dil (1994), Hum Hain Bemisaal (1994), Paandav (1995), and more comprise his train of commercially unsuccessful movies during this phase of his career. 

Akshay Kumar’s revelation on his Indian citizenship

On August 15, Akshay took to social media to wish everyone a happy Independence Day as well as to give an update about his citizenship status. He wrote, “Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind (sic)!"

(Akshay Kumar has finally received an Indian citizenship despite years of controversy | Image: akshaykumar/Instagram)

The renunciation of his Canadian citizenship came after more than two decades. His citizenship status had come under intense scrutiny after he did not vote during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The matter also became a topic of debate after he conducted a non-political interview of Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the elections. Later, during an event in 2019, the OMG 2 actor revealed that he had applied for an Indian passport.

(With inputs from PTI)