SRK’s interrogation in US was a waste of time: Farah Khan

Well-known choreographer-director Farah Khan feels the authorities at the Newark airport in the US wasted precious time interrogating Bollywood super star and her close friend Shah Rukh Khan, so much so that “three-four terrorists must have entered the US within that time”.

“The officer who was on duty wasted so much time, energy and resources interrogating Shah Rukh that three-four terrorists must have entered the US within that time, Farah told reporters here.

“That officers wasted the time. They should have just gone and searched his name online and they would have known within five minutes who he is. Shah Rukh also ended up wasting time and the American government also wasted so much time, she added.

Farah, who was in the capital for the launch of her celebrity chat show Tere Mere Beach Mein to be aired on STAR Plus, said that even though it was a mere security check, it shouldn’t have taken so long.

“What wrong was Shah Rukh going to do there? What were they doing for so long? I agree that there should be strict security, but when he had his passport, work permit, it didn’t make sense. Just because his name is Muslim, how can they take so long?” she said.

However, unlike many other celebrities with a Muslim name, Farah says she has never experienced such racial bias during her visits to the US or any other country.

Farah and Shah Rukh teamed up in hits like “Main Hoon Na” and “Om Shanti Om”.

In Pics: Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan returns to Mumbai from USA

Exclusive Watch: It was not a big deal, says Shah Rukh

Back in India after his detention in the US, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said it was no drama, and the US authorities asked him embarrassing questions.

SRK says he's hurt, not cribbing for publicity

Mumbai: Actor Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday said his experience at the Newark airport's immigration counter in the US was "embarrassing" and he was not complaining to gain publicity.

"I am scared of the authorities and rules, so I try to follow the rules of the country I travel to. Whenever I am in America, I have to report at least two hours in advance while travelling within the country for security reasons -- they ask me to take off my clothes and shoes, and I do that. But I never experienced this kind of treatment," Khan told reporters in Mumbai on his arrival here four days after he was detained for two hours at the Newark airport.

"There are some routine security measures--they check your finger prints and scan your retina. But the routine security process was not followed. Instead, the authorities asked me bizzare and irrelevant questions. I am not trying to make a point here, but why were security measures not followed?" he asked.

"The security of any country is important but caste, religion or race shouldn't come in the way of security measures. You may call me a mega star, a celebrity, but basically I'm just a normal guy. But I'm lucky that I have access to friends in the (Indian) consulate whom I could call up. But there are hundreds of others who don't have this facility."

Khan denied that the detention drama was a publicity stunt for his forthcoming movie My Name Is Khan. "I don't think that I need publicity," he said.

Govt must take up Shahrukh detention with US, says Lalu

RJD chief Lalu Prasad today said government should take up with the US the detention of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan at Newark airport.

Describing Khan as his younger brother, Prasad said he is a good artiste.

"On one hand, there is an impression that our government is getting closer to America and on the other, such incidents are taking place. Earlier, former president A P J Abdul Kalam was frisked by US airlines staff," he told reporters.

To a question whether he agreed with Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh criticising Khan over the issue, he replied in the negative.

US authorities asked me 'strange' questions: SRK

Back from a rocky visit to America where he went through two hours of questioning at Newark Airport on Friday, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan held a press conference
at his Mumbai home, Mannat, on Tuesday.

The actor said the US authorities "asked me a lot of strange questions". He said he felt "they were asking embarrassing, irrelevant questions".

Insisting that he did not "think it was a big deal", Shah Rukh said he did not believe he needed to be treated specially. And also that he did not throw his weight around. The actor said he respected the fact that rules needed to be followed, but also asked "if the US has a procedure, then why wasn't it followed?

He said he was lucky that he knew people in the embassy. He also said in the course of the press conference that the US needed to upgrade its security systems.

The Shah Rukh Khan incident came just days after former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked by personnel of a US airline. Both incidents caused much anger among Indians the world over.

Shah Rukh, who has recently finished shooting in the US for his film My Name is Khan, was detained and questioned for almost two hours at the airport as part of what the US calls "racial profiling" to weed out terror suspects.

On Tuesday, he arrived at the Mumbai airport to a welcome from crowds of people. A big media contingent had also gathered. As he got into his car at the airport, Shah Rukh waved, smiled and gave his trademark salaam to the crowd

After his two-hour ordeal in the US sparked a furore in India, Shahrukh had on Monday asked his fans not to take the issue further, even as he said that America needed to offer "a little more warmth and speed in its processes".

Earlier, in Houston, where he arrived from Chicago to attend a 'Meet and Greet' carnival, the actor said he respected the procedures the US required people to follow, but maintained his experience was "not pleasant". Immediately after being detained at the airport Shah Rukh had told his fans that he did not feel like stepping on US soil again.

Excluisve Video: SRK returns from US

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is back in India from his rocky visit to America where he was held up for questioning for two hours by the US immigration officials at the airport.

Shah Rukh Khan returns home

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is back at his Mumbai home, Mannat, after a rocky visit to America where he was held up for questioning at Newark Airport, much to the chagrin of his fans the world over.

Shah Rukh, who has recently finished shooting in the US for his film My Name is Khan, was detained and questioned for almost two hours at the airport as part of what the US calls "racial profiling" to weed out terror suspects.

He arrived at the Mumbai airport to a welcome from crowds of people. A big media contingent had also gathered. As he got into his car at the airport, Shah Rukh waved, smiled and gave his trademark salaam to the crowd

After his two-hour ordeal in the US sparked a furore in India, Shahrukh had on Monday asked his fans not to take the issue further, even as he said that America needed to offer "a little more warmth and speed in its processes".

Earlier, in Houston, where he arrived from Chicago to attend a 'Meet and Greet' carnival, the actor said he respected the procedures the US required people to follow, but maintained his experience was "not pleasant". Immediately after being detained at the airport Shah Rukh had told his fans that he did not feel like stepping on US soil again.

Shah Rukh Khan Missed Kajol!

A small bit that everyone missed at the press Bombay conference (earlier this month) for the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol starrer, 'My Name Is Khan' was SRK missing his favourite co-star!

Shah Rukh took time out to remember Kajol saying, "Kajol is not here today, but happy birthday to her!"

While on Kajol, she was busy shopping with her family, after a long Overseas schedule of 'My Name Is Khan'.

Shahrukh Khan's the king of hearts

Chicago: King Khan Shahrukh Khan once again proved why he's been given the so called title of "King of Bollywood" as he forgets the bad experiences at the Newark Air Port on Independence Day eve and won the hearts of hundreds of his fans despite breaking them.

SRK entertained the fans with all the energy at the "South Asia Carnival" made the place for him in their hearts. It was almost a dream come true for the spectators who were waiting for their superstar since morning.

The smiling Shah Rukh not only shook hands and gave autographs but also, showed some dancing without letting them down.

Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Diya Mirza and bad man Gulshan Grover were also there to attend the event other thean SRK.

Obama should invite Shah Rukh for dinner, says Shekhar Kapur

Filmmaker criticises Ambika Soni’s comments on SRK episode

Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has criticised Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni's remarks to give a 'tit-for-tat' treatment to the Americans after Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was detained at a US airport for two hours.

Giving the example of former president A.P.J. Kalam, who was also frisked in April at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here as he was boarding a flight of US carrier Continental Airlines, Kapur wrote on his blog: "I believe what happened to Shah Rukh was a huge blunder, but what happened to our Abdul Kalam was far, far worse. It happened on Indian soil."

"But I admired the calmness with which Abdul Kalam dealt with the issue himself and displayed so much humility. I expect Shah Rukh to do the same as I am sure he will. Only he can defuse the situation," Kapur posted on his blog.

"Unlike our Cabinet Minister Ambica Soni, who said we should respond with a 'tit for tat'. What are you going to do, Ms Soni? Interrogate every American citizen arriving at our shores for an hour and a half? Or wait for Brad Pitt to arrive here? Cabinet ministers need to make more considered statements," he wrote.

Shah Rukh was on his way to Chicago to attend a function to mark India's Independence Day and was detained for two hours at the Newark airport after US immigration officials spotted the 'Khan' in his name.

Reacting to it, Soni had said: "I have always felt - even when I was frisked there (the US) - that the way they frisk us we should do the same for them here."

Kapur says to make up, US President Obama should invite Shah Rukh Khan for dinner.

"What happened to Shah Rukh is a minor incident which we should protest about, yes. Ensure that this doesn't happen to an Indian public figure like him again and move on," Kapour said.

"And President Obama, adept as he is diplomatically and politically, should invite Shah Rukh to a family dinner over beer and (view) one of his Bollywood films," he added.

US 'overdid' SRK's questioning: Chidambaram

Home minister P. Chidambram on Monday said the Americans had "overdone it" by detaining Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for two hours at Newark airport in New Jersey, for questioning.

"Had it been for ten minutes or even twenty minutes (of detention for questioning), one can understand it. But one fails to understand how could they hold him for two long hours?" said Chidambaram, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual meet of the state chief ministers and the police chiefs on internal security scenario in the country here at Vigyan Bhawan.

"It takes maximum of ten minutes, say twenty minutes, even if you have to frisk a person after stripping him. They have simply overdone it," he said.

"And to add to the complications, they allowed SRK to make a call only after two hours. Had they allowed him to make the call in first fifteen minutes, there would have been no controversy," said the minister.

Asked if India too would treat visiting US dignitaries or their high-profile citizens in the same manner, Chidambaram said: "We will tell them that we do it (frisking) and checking only in civilised manner."

The minister, however, lamented that such an unsavoury treatment was meted out to a high-profile citizen of a country where "we send our joint secretaries officers to the tarmac to receive them (visiting dignitaries.)"

Reacting to the incident, civil aviation minister Praful Patel on Sunday said that the government will take up the issue with the US government at its highest level.

"We will take the issue with the United States government strongly. Such incidents involving Indians due to their religion or nationality should not happen. We will not accept it," said Patel.

Khan was detained for about two hours Saturday morning at the airport in New Jersey where he had arrived to attend India's Independence Day celebrations with Indian diaspora.

Khan was released after Congress MP Rajiv Shukla spoke to the authorities in the US and the Indian consulate. Khan had been detained after his name flashed on a computer and was asked several questions about the purpose of his visit.

Tourism Minister Ambika Soni too had condemned the incident.

Shah Rukh opts to exit Jet board; shareholders give nod

Jet Airways on Monday said Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has not been re-appointed as a member on its board, after the actor expressed his unwillingness for a new term.

"Shah Rukh Khan, who retired by rotation at the meeting, had expressed his desire not to be re-appointed and he has not been appointed," Jet Airways said in statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

The vacancy caused by the star's exit has not yet been filled, Jet said after its annual general meeting (AGM) held today.

Meanwhile, shareholders of the airline have approved the appointment of film producer and director Yash Raj Chopra and Victoriano P Dungca as directors of the company.

Other decisions taken during AGM included increasing the company's borrowing limit to up to Rs 17,500 crore and re-appointment of two chartered accountants-- Deloitte Haskins & Sells and Charturvedi & Shah as joint statutory auditors of the company.

‘Attacks on Khans is nothing new’

Bollywood's other Khans react to Shah Rukh's detention

After Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was detained at Newark airport for a security check, many others like Zayed Khan and Irrfan Khan have come out with the ordeals they faced in the US because of their last names. This is what they have to say:

Zayed Khan: Of course, we Khans go through this kind of humiliation all the time. I've gone through it, Salman has gone through it. I'm glad people are talking about it because of Shah Rukh. There have been times when I've been with 17 people in a team on tour or for a shooting in the US. Out of these only one gets detained at the airport. Guess who invariably gets detained? And some Caucasian bully, who does these checkings by the book and thinks all Khans are terrorists, will tell you it's a random check. Tell me, how can there be random checks on five US airports one after another and in all of them only yours truly gets detained for additional checking? I think there's a big difference between being secure and being ignorant.

Iqbal Khan (TV actor): Such attacks on Khans is nothing new. These things happen at American airports. It's time for all Muslims to let everyone know Islam means believing in God and in peace. It's happened to me. Once I was to go to the US for a show, I was the only one who didn't get a visa. And I was the only Muslim. However, recently I applied again and I got a 10-year multiple entry visa.

Shabina Khan (dress designer): I really don't know what happened with Shah Rukh in the US. But I definitely get into issues at the airport thanks to my surname. It's annoying. It's scary.

Kabir Khan (director): I was accompanying my wife in the US along with the Morani Brothers. It was a flight from LA to Washington just 15 days after 9/11. So the fear and paranoia were not totally unjustified. We were waiting for the flight to take off talking to each other in Hindi when some passengers complained that we were talking in a 'strange' language. Within no time two burly FBI agents came on board and took me and my co-passengers to the front of the plane. When they got to know my name, they questioned me for more than two hours, googled my name for terrorist links and then finally allowed me to fly.

They asked me if I had been to Pakistan. I told them no. If I had told them that I had been to Afghanistan, they'd have freaked out. Two other passengers on board refused to fly with us. So they were asked to deboard. So you see post 9/11 persecution comes with its inbuilt safety measures. But I honestly think a part of the global fear is justified. We can't blame people for being paranoid after what has happened.

Irrfan Khan: More than the physical torture, it's the wounds of humiliation that never heal after you undergo such a horrific experience. It happened to me on two occasions. I was detained in New York and Los Angeles airport for secondary interrogation. I was outraged. I was told to quietly come into a room for questioning and identification verification. I wasn't allowed to talk. When I tried to ask why I was being treated this way, I was told to keep quiet. I wasn't allowed to use my phone. They said, 'No, you just sit down.' All because my name was Irrfan Khan. You can't argue or rationalise.

On a second occasion this time in New York, when I was detained I blew my top. I told this big Black American guy, 'Please clear the confusion about my identity once and for all. Or don't provide me with a visa. I don't want to come back to the US.' The guy wanted to know if it was a threat. I was taken aback. Mira Nair had to intervene. She advised me to never counter-question them. This is the free spirit of America. This 90-minute detention changed me completely. Can you imagine what a 90-day detention can do to an innocent man thrown into jail?

Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan): After hearing these atrocious accounts who wants to travel to such a stupid place when our beautiful India offers Kashmir's jannat and Kerala's luminous glory? God forbid, if we have to go to such a country.

Eijaaz Khan (TV actor): I've gone through similar experiences a couple of times in the US. While all my friends breezed through immigration I was questioned and had to give the address I was staying at, and for how long. My whereabouts were even checked by them later. This was after 9/11. I guess this kind of treatment is to be expected by us Khans. We've to take it in our stride.