’Shah Rukh always had this fear...’

Close friend Karan Johar talks about the feelings the superstar went through and whether it will make him return to the US

'Shah Rukh always had this fear...'

Close friend Karan Johar talks about the feelings the superstar went through and whether it will make him return to the US

You went on Twitter, expressing your outrage that Shah Rukh Khan was detained and questioned for almost two hours at Newark airport.
I think I was more upset than angry that I wasn't there for him. I felt really bad because he was alone. I'm not saying how they could have done it to Shah Rukh Khan because I don't think it should have been done to anyone. It's unfair to anyone to be made to undergo something like that. I felt upset because this is a fear that Shah Rukh has always had, that he would be pulled up for something like this and now it's manifested itself.

How do you feel over the fact that Shah Rukh was so recently shooting for your film My Name Is Khan and now he's detained because his name ends with Khan?
It's upsetting because I got a text message this morning asking me if it was publicity plug for my movie.

(Sarcastically) I mean, if I had that much power over the Homeland Security, why would I allow Shah Rukh to go through something like this?

It's just ironical that it's parallel in a sense to some themes in My Name Is Khan. I always wanted to depict the ignorance of Islam and the movie does address these issues on a subliminal level, but al the heart of it, My Name Is Khan is an emotional story of a man and his journey. What's really shocking is the fact that when I was writing the film, I never thought that what happened to the protagonist of the film would happen to Shah Rukh.

Have you ever been through an experience like this?
No, barring the normal immigration queries, no, not to this extent.

How often did you, Shah Rukh and the rest of the unit travel to the US for the shooting of My Name Is Khan?
Twice, for two long schedules, one in Los Angeles and the other in San Francisco. Nothing like this happened then.

When did you first hear from Shah Rukh? Did he tell you he had spoken to Rajeev Shukla?
On Friday night, I got a text message from him and he told me he'd spoken to Rajeev Shukla. Today (Saturday), I had a telephonic chat with Shah Rukh. He was very upset and angry.

Did he tell you how he felt over the fact that they pulled him up over his name?
He touched upon it, but I knew he was upset so I didn't want him to dwell on that. I don't know how many minutes they questioned him or what they were thinking when this all unfolded because I wasn't there.

Do you think, under the circumstances, Shah Rukh will feel comfortable going back to the US?
Well, I know he's really angry and in his angst, he may make bold statements like that. But I'm hoping that once he's back, he'll listen to rational discussions on it. I feel it's really upsetting on a global level and hope this starts some dialogue on how we should be treated on a more human level.u00a0

How do you feel the US immigration should have talked to Shah Rukh?
They have total autonomy over there and are not accountable to anyone. But this is not what they should have done. What happened wasn't right or correct.