Skip to main content

Bollywood Star Downplays Incident at US Airport


ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) -- Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday downplayed being questioned at a U.S. airport, saying it was part of a necessary but unfortunate procedure.

Khan, one of the Indian film industry's biggest stars, is in the U.S. to promote his new film, ''My Name is Khan,'' which is about racial profiling.

He told Press Trust of India news agency that he was detained because his name came up on a computer alert list at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. However, U.S. customs officials told The Associated Press that Khan was questioned as part of a routine process that took 66 minutes.

''I told them I am a movie star,'' Press Trust quoted Khan as saying.

The reported detention made top news on TV stations in India.

Kahn told reporters in suburban Chicago on Saturday that he did not want an apology from the U.S. government. Asked about what happened, he simply said: ''I think it's a procedure that needs to be followed, but an unfortunate procedure.''

Kahn made his comments after appearing at an Indian festival in Rosemont and did not mention the incident in his remarks to the crowd.

U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection spokesman Elmer Camacho said Kahn was not detained.

''His documents and papers were checked, which were found to be in correct order, but it took a little longer because his bag was lost by the airline.''

Jen Friedberg, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said the agency did not request that Khan be detained.

In New Delhi, U.S. Ambassador to India, Timothy J. Roemer, said the U.S. Embassy was trying to ''ascertain the facts of the case -- to understand what took place.''

''Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films,'' Roemer said Saturday through an embassy spokesman.

Khan, 44, has acted in more than 70 films, and has consistently topped popularity rankings in India for the past several years.
source: The New York Times

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan appreciate Fiji

Former Miss World and Bollywood actress – Aishwarya Rai says Fiji is always close to her heart. Rai was present at the recent Zee Cine Awards in Singapore which was covered by the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation – and thanked Fiji citizens for their support of the Bollywood industry. Rai told FBC's Mirchi FM Programs director – Shammi Lochan that the support from Fiji means a lot to her. "It is a great opportunity to tell all the listeners of Fiji- thank you so much for all your love, good wishes, the blessing, your emails, and the overwhelming support you all extend to me and my family. It means a lot to us as actors, as the audience are the ones that complete our lives." Bollywood King – Shah Rukh Khan, who visited Fiji in 1998 says he has fond memories of Fiji and is fascinated with the hospitality. " It was a great experience to come there and meet every one there so basically it was very wonderful experience there." Shah Rukh Khan is expected t...
Post a Comment
Read more

SRK talks about the H.A.R.T

today ShahRukh Khan starts promotion of Raone Movie by promoting Raone H.A.R.T Merchandise on his official youtube channel, stay tuned for some more excitements to come as the countdown begins. Ra.One - India's biggest superhero movie - comes out with its own line of merchandise and the superhero of the movie, Shahrukh Khan or G.One as he is known speaks about the special H.A.R.T. merchandise, G.One' s H.A.R.T. Bollywood's only movie to bring out its own merchandise - Ra.One's superhero Shahrukh Khan presents his action figure avatar - the G.One collectible in all his likeliness. To know more about the G.One goodies, log onto www.raonemovie.com Source: http://www.youtube.com/raonemovie# Raone  Trailer 3GP and Rigntone  Download Raone Trailer for mobile format   (Right click and Save Target As) Download Raone Intro Ringtone (Right click and Save Target As)
Post a Comment
Read more