Reporting from New Delhi - Bollywood mega-star Shah Rukh Khan returned to India today, telling fans that the U.S. immigration screening process was discriminatory and involved bizarre and irrelevant questions -- even as he denied that his strong reaction was a publicity stunt for his upcoming movie.
Khan, 43, was taken for secondary screening at Newark Airport for about 90 minutes Friday, which he said happened because of his Muslim name and South Asian origin.
Khan was on his way to Chicago to attend a celebration for Saturday's Indian Independence Day. In recent months, he's traveled repeatedly to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York to shoot his upcoming film "My Name Is Khan," about the discrimination Muslims have faced in the U.S. since Sept. 11.
"Routine security procedures weren't followed," he said, adding that he felt embarrassed and uncomfortable having to find a U.S. national to vouch for him.
Khan said U.S. workers already had scanned his retina and taken his fingerprints in the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and should have just matched it against his actual prints when he landed, avoiding any problem.
His comments hit a nerve with upwardly mobile Indians who have faced enhanced and sometimes intrusive scrutiny since September 2001 when trying to attend U.S. schools, visit their relatives or participate in business meetings. His popularity also guaranteed that his complaints were heard by millions of poorer fans unlikely ever to travel abroad.
"This has definitely done huge damage to the U.S. reputation in India," said Shyamal Sengupta, a professor at the Whistling Woods International film school in Mumbai.
Hoping to blunt the criticism, recently named Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said through a spokesman that Khan had millions of fans in the United States and was always welcome to visit. U.S. border officials said Khan was not detained or discriminated against but rather subject to normal procedure.
Khan, from a country with a healthy VIP culture, sought to deflect criticism that he was upset because he hadn't received special treatment. His celebrity status only allowed him to highlight treatment that many ordinary people face each day at U.S. borders, he said.
The U.S. has every right to defend its borders, he added. But it might want to balance this against a desire to present a more open attitude toward people from around the world.
"There's a little [U.S.] paranoia, which is OK from their point of view, but they need to look at it," said Khan, dressed in a gray V-neck shirt and dark glasses.
India's Foreign Ministry has pledged to take up the issue with the U.S. government. And Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni suggested that India should "return the compliment" when U.S. dignitaries next visit India.
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