Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has publicly complained he's detained at US airports "every damn time" after landing in Los Angeles. Khan starred in a 2010 drama about Muslims in the US coping with post-9/11 paranoia.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/N.Seelam
Advertisement
Khan wrote on Twitter on Friday complaining that US authorities at Los Angeles International Airport had detained him for a secondary check. Celebrities and top officials in India are routinely given special treatment and often either avoid security checks or go through a brief cursory check.
It's at least the third time the outspoken international film actor has been detained at a US airport. In 2012 he was stopped at an airport in upstate New York and in 2009 he was detained for two hours at Newark.
The latest social media outburst received sympathy from US diplomats who said they empathized with the inconvenience of modern air travel.
Star of 2010 'My name is Khan' drama
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is one of the busiest airports in the United States.Image: picture alliance/dpa
Following his earlier detainments, Khan had speculated he received extra scrutiny due to his Muslim last name.
In 2010, the Indian actor stared in "My Name is Khan," a critically acclaimed drama about an Indian Muslim who emigrates to the United States and is wrongfully imprisoned on false suspicions following the September 11, 2011 attacks in New York and Washington.
Bollywood's 'King' Khan
From bad guy to romantic hero: How Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan, 50, became the country's most successful movie star and a veritble Bollywood legend.
Image: Rapid Eye Movies
King of Bollywood
His career could be straight from a Bollywood script. Born in New Delhi, Shah Rukh Khan rose from humble beginnings to stardom in Mumbai. The 50-year-old is one of India's most successful actors, also sought after as a producer and presenter. With an output of more than 2,000 films per year, India's film industry is one of the world's largest.
Image: Rapid Eye Movies
Villain to lover
At the start of his movie career, Shah Rukh Khan was often cast as the villain. It wasn't until he started playing the romantic hero in 1990s commercial Hindi films that he skyrocketed to fame. The 1995 blockbuster romance "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge - The big-hearted will take away the bride" holds the world record as the longest-running film in a cinema.
Image: picture alliance/Dinodia Photo
Bollywood's power couple
Kajol Devgn has been the woman by his side for the past 22 years. On screen, the two are the most popular and successful Indian movie couple of all time. In real life, however, they are happily married to other partners.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. Maqbool
A model husband
The Bollywood star has been married to film producer Gauri Khan for 25 years, entirely scandal-free. The couple, who have three children and a joint production company, met before Shah Rukh Khan rose to fame as an actor. In India, media-shy Gauri Khan is regarded as a fashion icon.
Image: picture-alliance/Dinodia Photo Library
Bollywood meets Hollywood
"My Name is Khan," produced by the Khans in 2010, is the most successful Bollywood film abroad. Set in the US, it focuses on Islamophobia in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Shah Rukh Khan plays a Muslim who suffers from the Asperger syndrome and is suspected of being a terrorist. His message was: "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist."
Image: Twentieth Century Fox
Bollywood exports
The 2014 musical comedy drama "Happy New Year" was the highest-grossing Bollywood film on the day of its release in Indian history. That same year, the film showed in Germany, too - here, fans can now sign up for Bollywood dancing and Indian cooking classes and buy bright Bollywood-style outfits.
Image: Rapid Eye Movies
A wealthy man
Shah Rukh Khan and his acting colleague Akshay Kumar have made it to the Forbes list of the world's richest people. With an income of $33 million per year, "King Khan" makes more than Kumar, but much less than Hollywood's best-paid actress: 25-year-old Jennifer Lawrence is reported to have earned $46 million last year.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
In touch with the world
The actor has about 20 million followers each on Twitter and Facebook. This is where he shares his private interests, including his recent obsession with Pokemon Go, and a video clip where he finds Pikachu, a popular Pokemon - Bollywood-style!
