This Bollywood Star Keeps Getting Stopped at U.S. Airports

David Francis
Updated
It's the third time in recent years Khan has been stopped by U.S. security.

For Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, a third time trying to enter the United States has proven not to be a charm.

Khan, known as the “King of Bollywood” and one of the most famous men in Asia and across the Indian diaspora, flew into Los Angeles on Thursday. Once he arrived in the States, he was detained by U.S. immigration authorities. Late Thursday, he tweeted this:

He then added some levity to the situation.

This isn’t Khan’s first run-in with U.S. immigration officers. In 2009, Khan was stopped by officials at the Newark airport en route to Chicago for a parade to mark India’s independence day. Then, in 2012, he was stopped after flying into an airport in White Plains, near New York City.

It’s not immediately clear why Khan has been repeatedly detained. U.S. Customs and Border Protection didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Transportation Security Administration.

Khan’s latest detention generated so much negative feedback on social media that the U.S. Ambassador to India Rich Verma tweeted an apology to Khan, as did Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal.

For his part, Khan accepted both apologies.

Khan, who has been a star in Indian movies and on television for years, is reportedly worth $600 million. He’s appeared in more than 80 Bollywood movies, and is the co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders.

Photo credit: Getty Images