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.

SRK detained: Minister Ambika Soni says treat Americans the same way

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni on Saturday reacted angrily to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan being detained at a US airport, saying it was not justified.

"I don't think that this manner of detaining the name of religion is justified. But in the United States of America several examples have surfaced where frisking takes place more than required, according to us," Soni, who was the tourism minister in the previous government, told reporters.

"I have always felt - even when I was frisked there - that the way they frisk us we should do the same for them here," she added.

Khan was detained for two hours at the Newark airport after US immigration officials spotted the 'Khan' in his name, his aide said.

Shah Rukh was on his way to Chicago to attend a function to mark India's Independence Day.

"He was detained because his surname is Khan. He was kept until officials from the Indian embassy intervened. Now he has been released," Niloufer Qureshi, Shah Rukh's manager, told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said the incident is not surprising since the US has had a phobia towards Muslims since 9/11.

"US has had a phobia towards Islam since 9/11. They should have some data on frequent travellers. Shah Rukh is a global icon. They (US authorities) should have been a little fair to him.

Why the double standards asked actor and filmmaker Farooque Sheikh. "There is heightened conservativeness after 9/11 and sometimes it takes the level of almost paranoia. But if they can do it to former president APJ Abdul Kalam, why not Shah Rukh?" said Sheikh.

In April, Kalam was also frisked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport as he was boarding a flight of US carrier Continental Airlines.

The incident had created waves in parliament in July, with MPs from across the spectrum expressing outrage over Kalam being reportedly subjected to a full body check and even asked to remove his footwear as he waited on the aerobridge to board the Newark-bound flight.