Akshay Kumar has said that he has taken steps to regain his Indian citizenship, after years of name-calling and criticism for holding a Canadian passport. But his association with Canada goes back years. In a 2010 interview, Akshay spoke about his personal and professional connection to the country. In a chat with Zoom, he was asked about being an ambassador for Canada tourism, and he said, "Yes, I have been appointed as an ambassador for it. I actually still remember in 1995, I'd gone there for the first time, and I shot two Khiladi films there, both were big hits. I remember when my father had cancer, I had taken him to Canada, and they supported him a lot there. They gave him a lot of care." Akshay said that this is why he has an 'emotional attachment' to Canada, and that a ward has been named after his father at a hospital there. Akshay has said several times that he decided to apply for Canadian citizenship because he felt he'd outstayed his welcome in Bollywood, as his films had stopped working. The plan was for film to branch out professionally after moving there. At the recent Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Akshay assured his fans that the process to get Indian citizenship has been put in motion, but has been delayed because of the pandemic. "See, I am an Indian, I pay all my taxes and pay them here. I have a choice to pay it there as well but I pay them in my country. I work in my country. A lot of people say things and they are allowed to. To them, I would just like to say that I am an Indian, and I will always be an Indian." Professionally, Akshay has been having a rather rough time this year, with four back-to-back theatrical flops and one unmemorable streaming release. He said after the film Samrat Prithviraj bombed that he will take some time to reevaluate his next moves.
