Truth About Akshay Kumar’s Honorary Canadian Citizenship

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recently interviewed Prime Minister Narendra Modi which sparked a debate across the country. Considering the timing of the 'non-political' interview being telecast across mainstream news channels mid-elections garnered immense criticism. However, this sudden move by Akshay Kumar has led the actor to once again facing the flak over his citizenship.

When quizzed about voting in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Akshay Kumar refrained from giving an answer, the video of which gained a lot of attention on social media. Following the social media uproar, the actor put out a statement on Twitter saying, “I have never denied or hidden that I hold a Canadian passport.”

In the past, he claimed to hold ‘honorary citizenship’ on several occasions. In an interview with Times Now which was broadcasted on August 11, 2017, Akshay Kumar said, “About the Canadian thing, I am an honorary citizen. I’ve been given an honorary thing. I think it’s something people should be proud of. I also have a doctorate, doesn’t mean I am a ‘doctor doctor’. This is what people need to understand."

In another public interaction, he reiterated the same when a reported questioned of him being mentioned as a Canadian national on his Wikipedia page. Akshay Kumar responded by saying, “That is honorary. It is not what you think.”

Interestingly, if one checks the website of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the people who have received the honorary Canadian citizenship are listed out with no mention of Akshay Kumar.

So far, only six individuals in the world have been so far named honorary citizens of Canada with the recently included Pakistani Noble Laureate Malala Yousafsai. The remaining five others are Raoul Wallenberg, Nelson Mandela, the 14th Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the Aga Khan.

Last year, Myanmar politician Aung San Suu Kyi’s honorary citizenship was revoked after the Burmese military and the government against Rohingya Muslims cited human rights violation. Therefore, only five people currently hold the title of honorary citizens of Canada.

The question does come to mind regarding the eligibility for honorary citizenship. In 2014, during a debate on honorary citizenship in the Canadian Parliament, Senator Stephen Greene clarified that the country bestows the citizenship to those who have achieved historic accomplishment advances freedom and not as a tool to influence a foreign government in its proceedings.

This should settle the argument surrounding Akshay Kumar's honorary Canadian Citizenship.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar Ignores Question On Skipping Voting