Controversy over Akshay Kumar's 'honorary citizen of Canada' claim, netizens highlight his name being missing from official list

Akshay Kumar's citizenship status has become a talking point after his 'non-political' interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi went viral. The eyebrows were further raised when the actor was seen walking away miffed after a reporter who asked him about voting in India.

And now, a video clip of Akshay Kumar's interview given to a media channel in 2017 has gone viral wherein the actor is quoted saying, "About the Canadian thing, I am an honorary citizen. I’ve been given an honorary thing. I think it’s a thing that people should be proud about. I have an honorary doctorate also but I am not a Doctor. So this is what people have to understand."

FACT: Only six people have till now recieved honorary citizenship of Canada. Malala Yousafzai being the sixth person to receive honorary Canadian citizenship. The first was Raoul Wallenberg (1985), a Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II. Then in 2001, Nelson Mandela was bestowed with the honorary citizenship. Later in 2006, the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso was given. In 2007, Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar Leader and in 2010, Karim Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims.

Also, a report by the Vancouver Observer, from September 2012, says that 'Akshay Kumar was granted Canadian citizenship within weeks after applying'. Below is the screenshot from the report -

Another video of Akshay Kumar addressing crowd in Toronto, Ontario state, Canada sees the actor saying: “Toronto is my home. After I retire from the industry, I am going to come down here and stay here.”

Netizens too have raised questions over the same. Here are some reactions on Akshay Kumar's 'Canadian citizenship'.

After he was heavily criticised for not voting in the polls held for six Lok Sabha seats in Mumbai, actor Akshay Kumar dodged questions on his conspicuous absence. 

Kumar was in news only a few days ago for his "non-political" interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But the hero of films like "Kesari", "Toilet Ek Prem Katha" and "Airlift" which had nationalistic overtones, gave voting a miss on Monday.

At a special screening of the film "Blank" on Tuesday, the actor interacted with the media, lauding the movie and the performances of debutantes. However, when the actor was asked why he skipped voting, Akshay simply walked off, saying "Chaliye chaliye (lets go, lets go)."

READ | VIRAL: Here's How Akshay Kumar Reacted On Being Asked About Voting, Watch Video

The irony of Akshay skipping voting did not go unnoticed on Twitter, as just last month Modi had tagged the actor in a tweet, asking him to encourage voting. In response to the PM, the "Kesari" actor had written the power of a vote "is immense and we all need to improve awareness on its importance." 

(With Inputs from PTI)