Akshay Kumar now officially Indian citizen

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Actor Akshay Kumar, who has often faced criticism over his Canadian citizenship, surprised everyone on Independence Day by announcing that he is now officially an Indian citizen.

On Tuesday, Akshay took to social media to share a picture of his official government documents, proving that he has finally got his Indian citizenship.

"Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind," Akshay captioned the post.

The update has left fans elated. Many congratulated him on social media. 

"Finally. Mubarka sir," a social media user commented. "Best Independence Day gift," another one wrote.

Akshay has faced a lot of trolling on the internet for holding Canadian citizenship in the past.

A section of social media users even mocked him by calling him Canadian Kumar. During the initial phase of his career, Akshay moved to Canada as his films were not working in India.

In one of the press events, he revealed that a friend of his lived in Canada and suggested that the actor too should move there if he is not finding success in India. Akshay went there and applied for Canadian citizenship.

However, he began experiencing professional success again, and he decided that he should stay back in India.

Back in 2019, after receiving backlash for holding Canadian citizenship, Akshay issued a statement via his official Twitter account, stating that he does not understand the negativity around the subject. 

"I really don't understand the unwarranted interest and negativity about my citizenship. I have never hidden or denied that I hold a Canadian passport. It is also equally true that I have not visited Canada in the last seven years. I work in India, and pay all my taxes in India. While all these years, I have never needed to prove my love for India to anyone, I find it disappointing that my citizenship issue is constantly dragged into needless controversy, a matter that is personal, legal, non-political, and of no consequence to others. Lastly, I would like to continue contributing in my small way to the causes that I believe in and make India stronger and stronger," he tweeted. 

Meanwhile, on the film front, Akshay recently came up with 'OMG 2', which also stars Pankaj Tripathi and Yami Gautam.

(ANI)