Akshay Kumar says Twinkle Khanna wasn’t bothered by Canadian citizenship row, his response to being called ‘Canada Kumar’: ‘I am attacked for effect’

Actor Akshay Kumar explained why the process of renouncing his Canadian citizenship and regaining Indian citizenship took so long. In recent interviews, Akshay also dismissed the suggestion that his wife Twinkle Khanna was bothered by the attacks made against him on social media, particulary those pertaining to his citizenship, and also addressed the ‘coincidence’ of receiving his new Indian passport on August 15, Independence Day.

In an interview with India Today, Akshay said that Twinkle isn’t bothered by the attacks directed at him online, and that they don’t talk about it. “Nothing, what is there to have a conversation about?” he asked. Akshay said that in his opinion, people attack him only ‘for effect’, and that they eventually get bored of it. The actor also commented on the disintegration of India-Canada relationship in recent weeks, after Canada accused India of having a hand in the death of accused terrorist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He said that he chooses to hope that the relationship mends itself, instead of dwelling on the negativity. He made an analogy about cricket, and said that it is his responsibility to trust in the Prime Minister’s decisions, regardless of his personal feelings about them.

Also read | Akshay Kumar dismisses ‘Modi bhakt’ tag, social media narratives that pit his and Shah Rukh Khan’s ideologies against each other

Speaking to Times Now, Akshay denied that he was pressured into renouncing his Canadian citizenship, and said that he hasn’t even been to Canada in nearly a decade. “Even when I was holding a Canadian passport, I was paying all my taxes here. I was the highest tax payer. I didn’t know people would be so bothered. I applied for citizenship, but it took over a year and a half because of the pandemic. Amazingly, I received it on Independence Day.”

 

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Asked if this was all too convenient, like a Hindi movie almost, he said, “Not at all. This is actually what happened. The document says August 15. I shared a picture of it on Twitter (X) as well. You can see for yourself. It was not a filmy coincidence.” Akshay, who can currently be seen in the film Mission Raniganj, admitted that the movie hasn’t done as well as he’d have liked, but claimed that it was never supposed to be a commercial blockbuster in the first place. The film has earned around Rs 14 crore in four days of release.