'Because my name is Khan'

Mumbai: Actor Shah Rukh Khan was detained and interrogated for close to two hours on Saturday at Newark airport in the US. He was on his way to Chicago for an independence day event where Katrina Kaif, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor were also slated to be present. Recounting the experience, Khan said through SMS, "Absolutely uncalled for, I think. I felt angry and humiliated. I was really hassled because of my name being Khan. These guys just wouldn't let me through."

Not allowed to use his phone for an hour, when he was finally allowed to make a call, Khan is said to have called Congress MP Rajeev Shukla, who helped him connect to the Indian consulate, which, in turn vouched for him and secured his release. According to friends close to Khan, he has vowed not to visit US again, as far as possible.

In what is an irony of Bollywoodish proportions, Khan has just finished a month-long shoot in the US for his film, My Name Is Khan, which is about a Muslim man's experience with racial profiling.

Back home, SRK's friends are outraged. Priyanka Chopra said, "It is shocking, disturbing and downright disgraceful. It is such behaviour that fuels hatred and racism. SRK's a world figure for God's sake. Get real." And Karan Johar said, "I am shocked and upset."

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni denounced Shah Rukh's detention in no uncertain terms. "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."

The outrage in India over SRK's detention had the new US ambassador Timothy Roemer go into quick damage control mode.

Within hours of the news breaking on television, Roemer issued a statement saying that the embassy was trying to check the facts from authorities in the US. At the same time, he issued a soothing statement recognising Shah Rukh's massive fan following. "Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States.Many Americans love his films," Roemer said.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minster Vayalar Ravi expressed surprise at SRK's detention. "Shah Rukh Khan is the pride of India. I am quite surprised that he was detained in the Newark airport," said Ravi.

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. He said it was ironic that the incident happened on the eve of August 15, when freedom is celebrated by Indians.

Further elaborating on the episode, Shah Rukh said, "I was made to answer silly questions which had no relation with a legal and a general interrogation. They didn't let me use my phone for an hour. I was travelling alone as the US consulate hadn't allowed a visa to my bodyguard who coincidentally has the same name. As it is, I am quite reluctant to visit the US and I would make sure that I avoid it in the future."

Asked about Ambika Soni's statement on the issue where she had called for a tit-for-tat response for foreigners in India, he said in a lighter vein, "Yes, if they want I can frisk Angelina Jolie when she is here (India)."

Added Khan, "This has happened with me before and that's why it concerns me all the more. As it is I shy away from coming to the US because I don't want to participate in their paranoia about religion and everything that the US has developed into over the years. I don't want to say that it happened because I am a Muslim as it may lead to something else, but I think it had something to do with that only. We can only avoid this by not coming to the US."

Suggesting what can be done to avoid such embarrassments, the actor said, "I guess they need to modify the system. I am sure they can do much better than this, being the advanced country America is."

Interestingly, in an earlier interview to DNA, SRK had spoken to being at the receiving end of such racial profiling at London airport too. He had said, "Internationally, if you have a Muslim surname, you might be considered a terrorist. At London airport, every time I go, people recognize me, but they see my second name and give me an extra checking."

The actor ended up by saying, "This particular episode makes me appreciate our independence one million times more. I need an incident like this to strengthen my faith in God further. I am looking forward to coming back to my country."