Despite being one of the world’s most popular and celebrated film stars, Shah Rukh Khan has often faced direct attacks for his Muslim identity, most notably his airport detention in the USA the more than one occasion. Recently, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla commented on the same, revealing how he helped Bollywood’s ‘Baadshah’ when he was detained at Newark airport in after 9/11.
Revealing that he was the one Shah Rukh Khan contacted when the incident occurred, Shukla said during a conversation with the news agency. ANI“Unhone phone isliye kiya tha ki random vo chal raha tha ki naam ko dekhkar kisi ka bhi luggage rok lete the (He called because at that time random checks were carried out, where they would stop anyone’s luggage just by looking at the name). “They used to stop anyone and make them sit down… After 9/11, you couldn’t question security at the airport.”
He continued: “Their laws were so strict… toh unko (SRK) bhi harassment ho raha tha… We din Janmashtami thi toj phone aayaa… aur vo keh raha ki ‘aise aise ye ye hua hai… Do ghante se baithaya hua hai’ (So Shah Rukh was also facing harassment. It was Janmashtami that day when I got the call. He said this and that had happened and he had been made to sit there for two hours.) I won’t reveal who I contacted or what really happened, but… 15 minutes mein Shah Rukh ka phone aa gaya hai ki unhe nikal diya hai aur sab saman nikal gaya (Within 15 minutes, Shah Rukh called again saying he had released him and his luggage had been released).”
After the 2009 incident, Shah Rukh had He described the experience as “embarrassing.” Years later he spoke in depth about it, maintaining that It was an awkward situation.. “It was very uncomfortable. Landing somewhere and being stuck in an airport for 2 or 3 hours for no reason,” the news agency said. PTI quoted him saying. “God forbid, if there was a problem in India, I would be the first to say that we have to strengthen our security. You have to look at it in a broader context, it’s a sign of the times. The world is that kind of place… you can’t hold grudges against people. We have to live with it and just be prepared for some of these things,” he added.