4 Bollywood Celebs Who Were Embroiled In Citizenship Row!
Bollywood, just like India, is a place that welcomes all with open arms. When one comes to Bollywood, they are not judged or discriminated on the basis of race, caste, creed or even nationality. There have been many foreign nationals who have come to Bollywood and made their mark and have been accepted in the industry. But there are also actors who are Indians but have received citizenship of other countries.
While the nationality of any Bollywood star should not be a matter to any of us, these 4 celebs had been into the center of controversies because of their nationality.
1. Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar has been in the industry for almost 3 decades. The man, who was once the ultimate Khiladi of Bollywood, is now seen in films that convey a social message or have a patriotic undertone to it. He is also close to our present Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom he had an informal interview ahead of the election. While he has fans who idolize him, there are some who have always raised questions about his nationality. The Punjabi actor actually does not hold an Indian passport but has a Canadian passport.
He has been asked a number of times about his citizenship, so much so that he had to post this clarification
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 3, 2019
2. Deepika Padukone
Deepika was born in the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. Even though she has been born to Indian parents, many had claimed that she actually holds a Danish passport. She debunked these claims by posting a picture after voting in the 2019 General Elections.
Never has there been any doubt in my mind about who I am or where I’m https://t.co/Iv1nhLQWqD for those of you confused on my behalf...please don’t be!Jai Hind!?? #proudtobeanindian #govote pic.twitter.com/8ZYj1g0r9u
— Deepika Padukone (@deepikapadukone) April 29, 2019
3. Alia Bhatt
Alia Bhatt had admitted in an interview before the 2019 General Elections that she would not be able to vote because she has a British passport. This was later talked about by Kangana’s sister Rangoli Chandel, who wrote,
“These non-Indians who are living off this land, using and abusing its people and its resources, lying about intolerance and spreading hatred, time to think about their agenda and not to get carried away with their provocations.”
4. Soni Razdan
Soni Razdan, before the 2019 General Elections, had tweeted,
Urging people to vote against hate has nothing to do with citizenship and everything to do with being a human being. We are all human beings first and citizens of the world we live in. Secularism and democratic principles are values and it’s those that I stand for. #VoteOutHate
— Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 16, 2019
When Soni tweeted this, someone pointed out that she has no right to speak since she has British citizenship. Soni responded and said,
I do actually. My father is Indian. Lived in India since I was 3 months old. Pay taxes. Hold an Overseas Citizen of India card. If my hard earned income is good enough to be used to better this nation then I have a right to voice my opinions too. #VoteOutHate https://t.co/pizCzuTJEQ
— Soni Razdan (@Soni_Razdan) April 16, 2019