Abu Dhabi: Renowned Bollywood poet and writer Javed Akhtar along with actress and wife Shabana Azmi are the latest Indian personalities to be honoured with a UAE golden visa.
The couple were handed over the visa by officials from the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA).
Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi expressed their gratitude to the Dubai government for awarding them the golden visa.
“We are deeply honoured to receive the golden visa and thank the authorities for considering me worthy to receive this privilege,” said the couple in a statement, Gulf News reported.
Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist known for his work in Hindi films. A recipient of five national film awards, he received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India’s highest civic awards.
Shabana Azmi is an actress who has worked in Indian films, television and theatre. Azmi, one of India’s most famous stage artists, is known for her portrayal of distinctive and often unconventional female characters across various genres.
Other Indian celebrities granted UAE’s golden visa
The UAE golden visa has been granted to a number of prominent Indian cinema stars. The list includes Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Ranveer Singh, Farha Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Mohanlal, Mammootty, Sunil Shetty, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sonu Nigam, Sonu Sood and Sanjay Kapoor.
Boney Kapoor alongside his family Janhvi, Arjun and Khushi was awarded the golden visa.
John Abraham, Tushar Kapoor, Anshula Kapoor, R Parthiban, Trishna Krishnan, K S Chithra, and Ram Charan’s wife Upasana Kamineni are also a part of the list.
UAE’s golden visa
The golden visa was created by the UAE government in 2019 which allows foreigners to live, work and study in the country without the need of a national sponsor and with 100 percent ownership of their business on the UAE mainland.
These visas are issued for 5 or 10 years and are automatically renewed.
The visa is open to investors, entrepreneurs, extraordinary talents and researchers in many disciplines of technology and knowledge, as well as extraordinary students.
