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Cahan » 08 сен 2008 21:51
Assumption University to honour Bollywood star
A Bollywood star will be conferred with an honorary degree by Assumption University later this month.
Akshay Kumar, who has starred in more than 80 Bollywood films, including the popular Khiladi series, will be conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws during spring convocation on Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m. in the Assumption University chapel.
Assumption University president and vice-chancellor Rev. Dr. Paul Rennick said Kumar was selected on the recommendation of Indo-Canadian businessman Ajay Virmani, a previous recipient of an honorary doctorate.
"He (Kumar) seems to have a special connection to Canada," said Reddick. "He has been involved in numerous philanthropic endeavours."
Reddick said Windsor has a large and growing Indian population and many international students from India study at the University of Windsor.
"We thought it was a way not only to honour the individual but a way to acknowledge the entire Indian community," said Reddick.
:D
Akshay Kumar will soon become a doctor courtesy the University of Windsor (Ontario), which will confer an honourary doctorate to the star on May 9 in Toronto, Canada.
And the Khildadi star has one person to thank for the honour.
The person in question is Ajay Virmani, Cargojet President, who himself received a similar degree from the University of Windsor. Virmani's involvement with Bollywood stars goes way back; in fact, Akki calls him 'uncle'. Virmani has also financed Deepa Mehta's Water.
"Akshay helped raise half a million dollars three years ago for the Trillium Health Center in Mississauga," Virmani, who was the chairman of the fund raising committee, said.
According to Virmani, Akshay is a 'permanent resident of Canada' after the actor's application for a 'landed status' was approved. "He has been keeping his permanent visa since then," Virmani said.
All this -- raising funds for the Trillium Hospital and the fact that he's a landed immigrant -- probably led the University to grant the actor the honourary degree.
"After I got the honourary degree, I recommended Akshay's name and have been lobbying for it since then," Virmani said. He added that he has been asked by the University to 'read the citation' and help the Chancellor to confer the degree on the actor.
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Akshay Kumar to get a Doctorate
Akshay Kumar has many reasons to celebrate. The man had four releases last year and all the films were superhit at the Box Office. This year, his first release Tashan failed to create the same magic but Akshay did walk away with loads of praises for his performance. The actor will soon be making his appearance on the small screen as well by hosting a reality show called Fear Factor- Khatron Ke Khiladi. And if this was not enough, Akki will now be receiving an honorary doctorate from a Canadian University.
"The University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, will bestow Akshay with an honorary doctorate on May 9. It's basically for all the social work that he has done in Canada. The University called him up to present him the doctorate," says Akshay's spokesperson.
In the recent past, such kind of honorary doctorates from foreign Universities were given to film personalities like Yash Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan, Shabana Azmi and Shilpa Shetty.
