Bollywood superstar, king of many an Indian mommies' hearts - Shah Rukh Khan - was detained at a US airport. Again.
Tweeting that he was detained at the Los Angeles airport, the actor quipped that he understood security concerns, but "to be detained at US immigration every damn time really sucks." Atta boy!
I fully understand & respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at US immigration every damn time really sucks.
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 12, 2016
Shah Rukh then put his famous sense of humour on winning display, saying the detention allowed him time to indulge in the new rage, Pokémon Go, and catch some of 'em!
The brighter side is while waiting caught some really nice Pokemons.
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 12, 2016
Dashing into standard damage control mode, the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, and the US ambassador to India have all tweeted apologies to SRK:
Sorry for the hassle at the airport, @iamsrk - even American diplomats get pulled for extra screening!
— Nisha Biswal (@NishaBiswal) August 12, 2016
Sorry for the trouble at LAX @iamsrk. We are working to ensure it doesn't happen again. Your work inspires millions, including in the US.
— Rich Verma (@USAmbIndia) August 12, 2016
Social media has had an odd (read intolerant) relationship with the star after his comments about "intolerance" in the country.
"Patriotic" social media users have been bashing his every move ever since, and when he was detained today, Twitter threw up some bizarre reactions.
US police detained #ShahRukhKhan at airport and Indian police can't even detain an actor on Footpath.
— The Viral Fever (@TheViralFever) August 12, 2016
How US immigration visualizes #ShahRukhKhan pic.twitter.com/0ZHkKD2yo8
— Lame Monk (@oldschoolmonk) August 12, 2016
Shahrukh Khan has been detained & stripped searched three times in the US. Time to make "My name is Khan" Sequel 2 & 3 ??#ShahRukhKhan
— Kaushik (@i_k_b) August 12, 2016
Barack Obama apologising to #ShahRukhKhan on behalf of Los Angeles Police Department.(2016) pic.twitter.com/b7qfwDmq8G
— History of India (@RealHistoryPic) August 12, 2016
Why always #ShahRukhKhan gets detained at USA airports. The officials this time must hv watched his recent movies ??
— Amit A (@Amit_smiling) August 12, 2016
Hey Moron #ShahRukhKhan ,You must understand that India is most tolerant country in the world!
— Sanjana (@iSanjanaPatel) August 12, 2016
#ShahRukhKhan detained at US airport ? Again ? One more time sing that #Intolerance song baby !
— ThunderBird! (@varshasinghs) August 12, 2016
Hi #ShahRukhKhan ,How's feeling now at US Airport ?Now u must understand the meaning of Intolerance. So always remember that 'India is Best'
— Sumit (@iSumitKatiyar) August 12, 2016
Shah Rukh has been detained twice before at US immigration.
He was detained in 2012 at a New York airport for two hours when, hilariously, he had come to visit Yale University to be honoured as a Chubb Fellow.
Throwback to 2009, it gets better.
He was detained at Newark Airport in New Jersey close to the release of his film, My Name is Khan, which incidentally tackled the issue of religious identity.
Shah Rukh Khan in My Name Is Khan. |
"I was really hassled at the American airport because of my name being Khan. It was absolutely uncalled for. I felt angry and humiliated," said Shah Rukh, who was then heading to Chicago to participate in an Independence Day celebration event.
"It is a Muslim name and I think the name is common on their checklist," Khan had said.
The film got publicity and King Khan raised awareness about the issue. Everybody won!