I was stopped at US airports several times because of my surname Khan, it's humiliating, says actor Irrfan

New Delhi, Mar 9: Actor Irrfan has revealed how he was stopped at airports in the United States several times only because of his surname Khan. “It's humiliating. They don't even disclose the reasons”, says the actor. Replying to questions in Rajat Sharma's Aap Ki Adalat show to be telecast on India TV this weekend, Irrfan, who was worked in several Hollywood films including The Life of Pi, Namesake, Spider Man and Slumdog Millionaire, described the ordeal he had to go through every time he visited the United States. “Actually I don't use my surname Khan in films, but in passports, surname and religion are required. I was stopped not once, but several times at airports in the US. “Once I told the immigration people, why do you issue visas, if you don't want to give us entry, and the man scowled at me saying- Are you threatening me?”Says Irrfan: “The policemen with big guns just take you to a room and ask you to sit. They don't allow you to speak to anybody, nor use cellphones. And after long waits, they come and simply say - Go, please go.”“So now, I have told my hosts clearly that if I am stopped at the airport, I will just buy a ticket and return to India.”Irrfan described his role in The Life of Pi as a very challenging one. “My character was such that the fate of the film finally depended on my performance”, he said. The actor revealed how he told his Hollywood producers that Indians do not do intimate scenes on celluloid without clothes. “My producers told me that one normally takes off clothes in the West while going to bed. I told them, in India, it's not so. People go to bed wearing clothes. So I put on my kurta and did the intimate scenes”, said Irrfan. On his unconventional looks, Irrfan said, “Most of the superstars are conventionally not goodlookers, whether Rajesh Khanna, or Amitabh Bachchan sahib or Dilip Sahib. I am not comparing myself with them. I am only exploring the possibility that the inner personality of an actor counts, not good looks.”Irrfan said: “It appears as if Hollywood is mesmerized with my looks, but for me, language does not matter. Language does not make one an elite. In The Life of Pi, I was asked to used a Canadian-French-Indian accent.”He described Maqbool and Paan Singh Tomar among his favourite films. “After my role as villain in Haasil was appreciated, I used to get at least two offers every day for playing a villain, but I rejected all of them. I never wanted to be typecast as a villain. However, there was a time when as a struggling actor, I wanted to at least stand behind Amrish Puri in any film.”Irrfan described how he was elated on getting the Padmashri. “I was in LA at 3 am speaking to my wife over Skype, when she got an SMS saying that I was being conferred the Padmashri. I was extremely happy over the recognition being given to me.”The actor said, his role as a wife-beater in 7 Khoon Maaf, was edited to such an extent that his character appeared to be a brutal wife-beater. “I respect Vishal Bhardwaj and though I was reluctant initially, I wanted to explore the role. However, during editing, most of the scenes were removed.”Irrfan said, Jai Hanuman was a TV serial he would never like to do in future. Aap Ki Adalat with Irrfan will be telecast on India TV on Saturday (March 9) at 10 pm and on Sunday (March 10) at 10 am and 10 pm.

I was stopped at US airports several times because of my surname Khan, it's humiliating, says actor Irrfan

New Delhi, Mar 9: Actor Irrfan has revealed how he was stopped at airports in the United States several times only because of his surname Khan. “It's humiliating. They don't even disclose the reasons”, says

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