The fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 in Mumbai saw a huge turnout of Bollywood celebrities. Popular Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar were among the celebrities who stepped out to cast their votes on Monday.
However, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Nora Fatehi and Jacqueline Fernandez were missing from the scene. For the unversed, Alia couldn’t vote as she isn’t an Indian citizen. The actress holds a British passport.
While promoting her Hollywood debut ‘Heart of Stone’, co-starring Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan, Alia had answered the most Googled questions about her and one of them was, “Is Alia Bhatt British?”
As Gal Gadot asked Alia in a video for Wired if she is a British citizen, the ‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’ star nodded and said, “My mom was born in Birmingham, but I was born and brought up in India.” When Gadot asked her, “She spoke British English with you your entire life?”, Alia replied, “My grandmother lived in England for her whole life so my grandmother has the English accent.”
Earlier, Alia’s mother Soni Razdan had shared that though she was born in the UK, she lived in India for most of her life. She told The Indian Express, “I was born in the UK but when I was three months old, I moved to Bombay. My mother got the British passport for me. We lived in south Bombay and I studied in Bombay International School, which was started by my parents. As for my passport, why should anyone tell me what I should do about it? It is my choice and right as a citizen of the world to decide what passport I want.”
Actress Katrina Kaif, too, holds a British passport. Katrina’s father, Mohammed Kaif, is a British businessman of Kashmiri descent, while her mother Suzanne Turquotte is an English lawyer and charity worker.
Talking about her citizenship, Katrina had told the Asian Age, “I am an Indian and my father is Indian. I have an Indian heritage. There are many actresses who hold different passports. One could hold a different passport due to various reasons. But my father is Indian and that is my origin,” and adds, “Although my mother is British, India has always been my home. It has been my home since the time I was 17. This is the country in which I live and work.”
Actress-dancer Nora Fatehi is also not an Indian citizen, and holds a Canadian passport. Talking to BBC Asian, Nora had recalled the hard work she put in to get recognition in the Hindi film industry. “Whatever opportunities I have got have been very last minute and thankfully I was prepared. I remember staying locked up in my room and watching stuff on TV, working on my Hindi. I wouldn’t party or make boyfriends like the other girls,” she had said.
Actress Jacqueline Fernandez was born in Sri Lanka and holds the official citizenship of the neighbouring country. She made her debut in Bollywood with Sujoy Ghosh’s fantasy film ‘Aladin’ in 2009.
