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New York/New Delhi, Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan was Saturday questioned for two hours at the Newark airport in the US over his surname and was freed only after Indian diplomats intervened.
The Indian government and entertainment industry reacted furiously after the 43-year-old actor, named by Newsweek last year as one of the world’s 50 most powerful men, revealed how he was detained and stopped from even using his mobile telephone.
Speaking to CNN-IBN channel on telephone from the US, Shah Rukh appeared to shrug off the embarrassing episode saying he had suffered similar treatment previously too.
The incident happened as the hugely popular actor, whose fans number millions in India and abroad, was on his way to Chicago to attend an event related to India’s Independence Day.
Other Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan too are set to attend the function.
“They checked me because I was an Asian,” the actor said. “They wanted to know why I came to the US and where I am staying.”
Shah Rukh’s manager Niloufer Qureshi earlier told IANS over telephone from Mumbai: “He was detained because his surname is Khan. He was kept until officials from the Indian embassy intervened.”
Asked if he got into trouble because of his giveaway Muslim name, Shah Rukh, who is married to a Hindu, said: “Certain countries have issues with my name.” He quickly added: “I am very proud of my name.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni denounced Shah Rukh’s detention over religious grounds.
“I don’t think that this manner of detaining (in the name of religion) is justified. But in the US, several examples have surfaced where frisking takes place more than required,” she told reporters in New Delhi. “There should be a tit for tat response.”
Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar, a close friend of Shah Rukh, said in Mumbai: “I am shocked and upset. I am feeling terrible.”
Shah Rukh admitted that he became “greatly worried” as the American officials piled him with questions — mainly about his travel to the US.
The actor said a large number of Indians, including organisers of the Chicago event, were waiting outside at the airport to receive him. Indian diplomats came to his rescue when they heard about his plight.
He said it was ironic that the incident happened on the eve of Aug 15 — when freedom is celebrated by Indians.
“I personally feel it is over and done,” he said, sounding conciliatory. Asked if he felt like reacting in a similar way, he replied: “If they want I can frisk Angelina Jolie when she is here (India).”
Undoubtedly one of Bollywood’s biggest and most highly paid stars, Shah Rukh has acted in nearly 70 films in a career spanning 17 years.
my name iis khan will help others with the name KHAN ……
dear sir,
i have read a news that srk was questioned at us airport. this is a security related issue. since we are lax at security our plane was hijacked from nepal to pakistan and a terrorist county afganistan. we cannot ask usa also to be lax in security like our country. We dont check criminals like abusalem, dawood ibrahim etc., and we also dont have guts to arrest simple criminals who roam freely in our country.
I think its stupid they stopped him about his surname being Khan and just casue he was Asian. But what he said about Angelina Jolie I was laughing so hard…how funny! I love SRK!!!!
it is really embarrasing we need to protest against this harrasing activety of US. He is global personality if they do this to him, it means there should be lot other muslims are having this sh*t by them.
The security check is quite common in all countries. Whoever coming into The USA are subjected to all kind of security checks because of the increasing terror activities around the world. What happened with SRK is not a big issue, and people should understand it. The Home land security is doing its job with no discrimination of race or religion. Detained for 5 hours, 10 hours? No big deal! SRK should understand what the world is facing these days rather thinking like a low mentality person about discrimination and stuff. Celebrities make up things to become Headlines, and SRK was successful this time.
IF PEOPLE WANTS TO COME INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THEY BETTER LEAVE ALL THEIR PRIDE BACK HOME, BECAUSE U.S of AMERICA DOESN’T CARE WHO YOUR ARE.
How much more elitist can we get? The whole media is up in arms that how could Shah Rukh Khan possibly be questioned let alone searched by a petty security official. This is elitism at work, we worship our celebrities, I mean no queues for them, no policeman will ever search them, no journo will ever ask them tough questions. Now what stops a Shah Rukh Khan from helping a terrorist, knowing fully well that he can carry whatever goods and personnel around the country, no questions asked. The question is not whether the Shah Rukh Khan can do something like this, the question is if he wants to, can he pull it off, answer is a resounding yes, given the elitism and celebrity worship pervading in society.
Its time we take security seriously and start searching celebrities too. How many times have we seen at airports that VIP treatment is given to everybody from one serial tv starlets to neta ji ka saala. Someday this celebrity worship will cost us dearly, terrorist are not that fools that they will not use this fool proof route to terror, all it takes is to coerce or threaten a celebrity enough to collaborate with them.
Another negative aspect of this phenomenon of celebrity worship is disregard for issues which are matters of life or death for real people. I am not saying that Shah Rukh Khan is not real, of course he is as real as his six pack (or was it eight pack) or his botox facelift, every bit of it is absolutely real. The country is reeling in severe drought, that 21 farmers have committed suicide in Andhra alone, in last month, has hardly made it to any so called news channels. So the question I ask is what should be a matter of national shame, that its citizens are still forced to commit suicide for issues (irrigation, loans) which should have been solved long ago or that a super ego super star was forced to lose 2 hour of his schedule for security procedures. Sure he could have made another crore or two for himself (some tax for country if the money was made legally) in those two hours but the issue remains that we need to get our priorities and focus in order.
it amazes me how people keep commenting on an issue without even understanding it. SHAH RUKH KHAN DID NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BEING CHECKED , SOMETHING HE GOES THRU REGULARLY AND WITH COMPLETE RESPECT FR THE SYSTEM – THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE REASON AND THE DURATION – HIS PAPERS WERE IN ORDER, HE WAS WELL IDENTIFIED , HENCE VOUCHED FR , HAND BAGGAGE CHECKED, CLEAR ON WHER THE BALANCE LUGGAGE WAS, YET THIS SHOULD TAKE SO LONG ?? – HE IS SAYONG HE IS NO VIP, AND LIKE YOU AND ME A COMMON MAN, HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO BE MIFFED AT BEING ASKED TO WAIT FOR OVER WHAT WOULD SEEM A REASONABLE DURATION. HE NEEDED TO CALL SOME PEOPLE TO GET OUT OF THAT , THE NEWS THRU THESE SOURCES RACHED THE MEDIA, THE MEDIA QUESTIONED HIM , HE REPLIED AND CLARIFIED , THE MEDIA AND AND HIGHLY JUDGEMENTAL BLOGGERS WITH LIMITED UNDERSTANDING CAPABILITIES BLOGGED AWAY AND MADE AN ISSUE OUT OF IT. I A COMMON PERSON , WHEN I DO TRAVEL, WILL BE OK WITH CHECKING INSPITE OF BEING WELL ABOVE THE LAW AND HAVING MY PAPERS IN ORDER , BUT WILL BE BUGGED BEYOND BELIEF IF I AM HELD UP FR SO LONG. SALMAN KHAN HAS NO ISSUE WITH IT COZ HE HAS NOT BEEN DETAINED FR THIS DURATION AND EVEN IF HE WERE, HE HAS BEEN ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE LAW WITH CASES FILED AND IN COURT AGAINST HIM ( ALSO BEEN IN JAIL) , SO HE REALLY SHOULD NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS. SHILPA SHETTY SATING IT’S NO BIG DEAL ?? – DID SHE NOT RESURRECT HER CARREER BASED ON TEARS OVER “RACISM” , WORDS FROM HER OWN MOUTH ON BIG BROTHER OVER A CATFIGHT WITH AN UNCULTERD FOUL MOUTHED WOMAN,( WAS SHE EXPECTING BETTER TERMS OF ENDEARMENT FROM HER) WHO WAS FIGHTING LIKE AN INDIAN MAID STREETFIGHTER. GET REAL , HE IS NOT AGAINST THE CHECKING, BUT ON DAY ONE HE WAS UPSET, ON DAY TWO LIKE A NORMAL PERSON HE DECIDED TO LET IT GO AND ON DAY THREE HE SIMPLY CLARIFIED TO ALL THE MAKING AN ISSUE WITHOUT COMPREHENDING THE ISSUE. P.S – DID IT STRIKE ANYBODY , THAT WHILE THE EFFICIENT COULD HAVE EASILY VERIFIED HIS IDENTITY AND THREAT STATUS IN 5 MINUTES, THEY TOOK SO LONG – GETTING BACK AFTER AN EGO BRUISE OVER BEING TICKED OFF ABOUT CHECKING APJ KALAM ON INDIAN SOIL – SO HEY , THEY CAN DO WHAT THEY WANT ON THEIR SOIL. SRK HAD HIS SELF RESPECT IN ORDER OVER BEING DETAINED FOR AN UNUSUALLY LONG PERIOD OVER HAVING A COMMON NAME , BUT SEEMS THOSE BADGERING HIM FR THIS SHOW OF SELF RESPECT HAVE VERY LITTLE FR THEMSELVES AND EVEN LESS FR OTHERS. HE DOES NOT NEED PUBLICITY , AND YES HIS NAME IS KHAN . MINE IS NATH AND I AM NOT SUPPORTING HIM B’COZ HE IS MUSLIM OR A STAR, SIMPLY B’COZ HE IS RIGHT AND HAS BEEN WRONGED. AS FR AMAR SINGH, AISHWARYA DID NOT CRIB OVER BEING QUESTIONED FR 6 HOURS AS THAT WAS AN ILLEGAL PARCEL – ADDRESSED TO HER – EVEN IF NOT REALLY FR HER. BACHCHAN SAAB HAS NOT BEEN DETAINED FR SO LONG – AND AMAR SINGHJI DID YOU NOT GRAB IMMEDIATE EYEBALLS BY ATTACKING SRK – SO WHO DID WHAT FR PUBLICITY HERE????????????