(Image source from: sirfnews.com)

On April 29, Mumbai went to vote in Lok Sabha elections. As expected what caught the attention of media and the general public is celebrities reaching polling stations to exercise their franchise.

And, what more caught attention is some of the celebrities who didn’t caste their vote. One of them is Akshay Kumar.

The Bollywood actor a month ago was seen posting on his social media handles urging people to make sure they caste their vote. He said: "true hallmark of a democracy lies in peoples participation in the electoral process. Voting has to be a superhit prem katha between our nation and its voters." But he wasn't found along with his wife Twinkle Khanna to vote, from where the speculations about the actor's nationality arouse.

Later, when the issue was brought up with the actor by the media, he dodged questions on his conspicuous absence.

Clarifying the issue of his citizenship, he said: “Really don’t understand unwarranted interest & 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,” ANI quoted him as saying.

“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,” he was quoted as saying.

Akshay Kumar absence was particularly noted in the wake of the "non-political" interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

-Sangam Sowmya