Bollywood livid over treatment meted out to Shahrukh
Press Trust of India / Mumbai Aug 15, 2009, 16:30 IST
'Shocking', 'disgraceful' and 'madness' is how Bollywood today reacted to the detention of Indian cinema icon Shahrukh Khan at a US airport, apparently because of his surname.
His close friends Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza as well as industry veterans like Mahesh Bhatt and Raza Murad slammed the the ill-treatment meted out to the megastar.
"Shocked and upset... Feeling terrible for Shah Rukh...," Johar, a well-known film director, wrote on his twitter page while Juhi said the detention was "as absurd as Brad Pitt coming to India, being strip-searched, investigated and interrogated".
Choreographer-turned director Farah Khan, one of his closest friends, asked, "if he can be discriminated (on the basis of religion), who else is left. Shahrukh was on Time Magazine among its 50 Most Influential People. It is not only discrimination but lack of knowledge also."
Filmmaker Bhatt said, "it is shocking that Shahrukh Khan, who is by every definition a global icon, should be subjected to something like that".
Actress Priyanka Chopra, who had worked with Shahrukh in 'Don', termed the incident as "disgraceful". "
Shocking, disturbing and downright disgraceful. Its such behaviour that fuels hatred and racism. SRK's a world figure for Gods sake. GET REAL!!," an angry Chopra wrote on her Twitter page.
Khan, one of the most prominent faces of Bollywood on the global stage, was on his way to attend an Independence Day celebration function in Chicago when he was detained and questioned for two hours at Nerwark Airport.
His detention is not the isolated case for Indian film industry. Malayalam superstar Mammootty too was detained at the JFK airport recently because of his middle name 'Ismail'.
Irrfan Khan, who faced a similar problem last year in US despite his global fame following the success of 'Slumdog Millionaire', said, "we should point out loopholes in their airport security system".
The other film personalities subjected to such treatment include 'New York' director Kabir Khan and Neil Nitin Mukesh. Kabir had alleged that he had to go through the security drill thrice despite being cleared the first time.
Kabir, who made a movie on the paranoia towards Asians in the post 9/11 US society, said it is a clear case of fear psychosis. "Shah Rukh just happens to be a superstar so we took notice of it. It is happening everyday.
"You just type his name on google and you get more hits than Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise combined. There is a clear element of arrogance in the entire episode," he said. Filmmaker Aziz Mirza, who directed Shahrukh first in TV serial 'Circus' in 1980s and hit movies like 'Yes Boss' and 'Chalte Chalte', felt that whatever the US authorities had done was "sheer madness"."Shah Rukh is a big star. Everyone knows him everywhere. The security officer might have done it out of his personal agenda and he might have done it in the garb of law," Mirza said.
Veteran actor Raza Murad said that the incident was a clear case of "racial discrimination".
"This is clearly a case of racial discrimination. They are going out of their way to humiliate Indians and if they come to know a passenger is Muslim, they try to discourage him from visiting the US," Murad said.
"Shah Rukh has shot several films in the US. If they had any doubt about his identity, they could have surfed the Internet where there are over five lakh images and references about him," Murad added.
Do Indians security people treat the Americans in this way? If in future Americans gets the same treatment at Indian airport they won't repeat it again. A nation has to get respect, it is not given for granted.
Sharukh is just another human, everyday people of all races, and creeds are detained. Just because he is a super star it's thought as "maddeing, and shocking" HA! This is ridicoulus and not news(or at least anything that matters). I love how when one thing goes wrong the media tries to blow things out of proprotion because they get more ratings, and a common scapegoat for all big media is the West/US. Get over yourselevs and your T.V. icons, worry about things that really matter not some big headed celeb not getting his don perione on time.
Am wondering. Did any of the above luminaries have a word to say in reaction to the frisking of the ex-President of India, one of our most illustrious scientists at that? I appreciate the sentiment, but I would take it much more seriously if they were the opinions of people who deserved to be taken more seriously or were capable of thinking about anything except themselves and their fraternity. Notice above, the only reasonably balanced view was that of Irfan Khan. I think we lack national pride and we have a surfeit of national egotism. And they make a lethal combination.
I am not a fan of Shahrukh but what he has gone through, for having a muslim name will only help many people to understand, why it does not pay to be non practising secular muslim. Fanatics points this out that a muslim name is enough to mete out such humiliation and discrimation world over. Especially in West and U.S. Many practising muslims are very secular and good muslim but western media has made them look to be potential terrorist and unprogressive people.
Our sisters, mothers and wives nakedness is being shown as womens liberation and purdha is being shown as subjugation.
Today media plays a very vital role and those who controls them can potray angels as devils and viceversa.Please Please think and think before you believe and act.
Shameful incident.But they did it to our ex-president and that too on Indian Soil. What did the Indian govt do about it? Nothing.Ha you ever heard of them detaining a weel known Arab Sheikh? Because they resent Indians for the progress they have made in US and out of this jealousy they humiliate Indians.What better way to show your supremacy ( or arrogance) than to humiliate wel known respected Indians - APG abul kalam, Amir khan, Shahrukh khan, Ajim Premji....They did it once , shame on them....they did it again.... shame is on us. Indian goverment , please take notice.Its a national insult, happening once again.
Our celebrities have inflated egos. Our media loves sensationalizing non-news items. Our people believe we are the center of the known world.
The fact of the matter, very simply, is: Security should never be compromised just because the suspect is a celebrity.
Posted by: gargvk
August 16 , 2009, 14:51 IST
I agree with u and learned something from the decieplined countries how the r aleart towards their security and rules irresepective of any celebraty or dignatroies.
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