Rajeev Shukla Recalls How He Helped SRK During US Airport Detention
Congress leader and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla has shared details of how he helped Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan during an incident at a Newark airport in the US, where the actor was detained for hours amid stringent post-9/11 security measures.
Speaking about the incident, Shukla said that Shah Rukh Khan had contacted him at the time. In a conversation with ANI, he recalled, “Unhone phone isliye kiya tha ki random vo chal raha tha ki naam ko dekhkar kisi ka bhi baggage rok lete the..They used to stop anyone and make them sit…After 9/11, you could not question security people at the airport. Their laws were so strict…to unko(SRK) bhi harassment ho raha tha…us din Janmashtami thi to phone aayaa.. aur vo ki aese aese ye ye hua hai do ghante se baithaya hua hai..15 minute mein Shah Rukh ka phone aa gaya hai ki ‘hume nikal diya hai sab saman nikal gaya’..”
(He called because at that time, random checks were going on, where they would stop anyone’s baggage just by looking at the name. After 9/11, you could not question security personnel at airports–their laws were extremely strict. So Shah Rukh was also facing harassment. That day was Janmashtami when I got the call. He said that this and that had happened and that he had been made to sit there for two hours. Within 15 minutes, Shah Rukh called back that he has moved and baggage has been released.)
During the interaction, Shukla also spoke about Bollywood’s leading stars and their distinct personalities. Referring to Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, he said that while all three are hugely successful superstars, their mindsets and working styles are completely different.
“The common thing is that all three are successful superstars, but the mindset of all three is completely different…I have had dinner with all three of them. All three of them are different. Their acting styles are also different. Shah Rukh is very witty. His speeches are wonderful. He is very intelligent. Salman mast hai yaaron ke yaar.. The speciality of Aamir Khan is that he does everything very meticulously and seriously.” (ANI)
