Memo to U.S.: His name is Shah Rukh Khan, he's a Bollywood star, and no, he isn't a terrorist

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      Believe it or not, they did it again. And no, you're not experiencing déjà vu.

      Yes, folks, U.S. immigration officials repeated their 2009 gaffe when they detained one of the planet's biggest movie stars, Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, for questioning at New York's White Plains airport for over an hour by immigration officials on April 12.

      Khan, nicknamed the King of Bollywood (and informally known as SRK or King Khan), had been invited to present a lecture at Yale University, who were honouring him with a Chubb Fellowship. He had arrived in the U.S. on a private jet from India. He was accompanied by Nita Ambani, the wife of one of India's wealthiest business magnates, Mukesh Ambani. Nita Ambani and Khan's fellow travellers were cleared but Khan was taken in for questioning by immigration officials.

      He was reportedly released when Yale University officials took up the issue with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C.

      U.S. Embassy spokesman Peter Vrooman apologized to Khan "for any inconvenience". The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Department was reported to have sent a letter of apology to the Indian Consulate in Washington, in which they stated that Khan did not inform U.S. authorities about his program.

      Afterward, Khan managed to retain composure and a sense of humour about the experience. He was reported to have joked that trips to the U.S. help to humble him. “Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself I always take a trip to America. The immigration guys kick the star out of stardom.”

      He also amusingly remarked that if they ever ask him what colour he is, he will say "white”.

      The incident is an unfortunate echo of a previous experience Khan had of being detained for questioning for over two hours at Newark Airport in New Jersey on August 15, 2009—on India's Independence Day, no less. He was released when India's embassy in the U.S. intervened. That previous incident sparked global media attention and criticism.

      What's interesting to note is that in 2010, Khan headlined the film My Name is Khan. In the film, he portrayed Rizvan Khan, a Muslim immigrant with Asperger's syndrome who is subjected to a full body search in post-9/11 American airport. The Khan character embarks upon a quest to prove he is not a terrorist.

      Whether it's a case of art imitating life, or life imitating art, or both, let's hope there isn't a third time.

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      artlover

      Apr 13, 2012 at 11:22am

      I am so sick of this racist, post-9/11 reactive bullshit... especially when the biggest, most destructive terrorist in the world is the American government.

      nosurprise

      Apr 13, 2012 at 2:47pm

      Yup, under any political party the U.S.A is under, nothing ever changes.