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4.16.2012

shah rukh khan detained at the airport... again

During a recent visit to the United States, Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was unceremoniously detained at the airport... again: Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood superstar, detained at Westchester County Airport.

The actor, who has been described as India's Tom Cruise, was held by immigration officials without explanation for more than two hours at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York. He was on his way to Yale University to accept an award.

You may remember that this isn't the first time Mr. Khan, who is Muslim, has had a run in with airport authorities. I guess the folks at Westchester aren't big Bollywood fans either.

Later, Khan made light of the incident to explain why he was late to the event:
"We were detained at the airport as always. For 1 1/2 hours. It was nice. It always happens when I come to America. Whenever I start feeling too arrogant about myself I take a trip to America. The immigration guys kicked the star out of stardom," Khan told the students. "They (immigration officials) always ask me how tall I am, and I always lie and say 5 feet 10 inches. Next time I am going to get more adventurous. (If they ask me) 'What color are you,' I am going to say white."
Alas, the hazards of "Flying While Brown" apply to international movie superstars too. More here: The Danger of Flying While Khan.