Mr Kumar obviously misread his popular standing and decided he could have his cake and eat it too. Through the course of a well-managed and successful career, he has not refrained from a charade of nationalist loyalty. In these days of heightened fervour, his mismatched citizenship lends it a hollow ring. The culmination for some was the exclusive interview with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Simultaneously, Mr Kumar’s spouse Twinkle Khanna displayed that she had cast her vote. Needless to say, the extremely efficient public relations team that has managed his career thus far shall need to go into overdrive. With time, this issue too shall dissolve into obscurity. But it has brought to the fore a hollowness of intent that rattles anyone whose commitment to the nation is genuine. Contrast this with the deceased actor Tom Alter: born in India to American missionary parents, he renounced his American citizenship as an affirmation of commitment to India.