Compare and contrast the reactions of Prof APJ Abdul Kalam and Shahrukh Khan to the security checks by US officials.
Prof APJ Abdul Kalam quietly and in a dignified manner went through the security check despite him being in Indian soil and having diplomatic immunity as an Ex President. In fact no one knew about it for 3 months till a diligent journalist dug it out and made it public leading to a furore. Inspite of the overpouring emotions condemning the US Airlines action across the country, Kalam refused to be dragged into the controversy and kept a stiff upper lip. Only time he spoke on the issue was to deny the claim of the Airlines that they have apologized to him, which was just stating a fact to put the records straight.
Shahrukh Khan might be a celebrity in India and gawked at my millions. But he has absolutely no VIP status officially either in India or abroad and is not exempt from any of the procedures that you and me have to undergo. While it is true that the US immigration tend to go overboard with their secondary checks, it is quite normal. There was absolutely no need for Shahrukh khan to throw his weight around and make a big issue of it. If he doesnt like the procedure, he should not be travelling to USA. I have been made to remove my belt and shoe while boarding certain aircrafts which is damned incovenient for me. What do I do? Either I dont wear a shoe (I wear a chappal) or belt or I don't fly that particular airline.
The difference between Kalam and Sharrukh Khan has to do more with education, culture and words Shahrukh is not familiar with - humbleness and humility. SRK made an ass of himself during the IPL as the franchisee of KKR, but one suspects this incident in US was blown up to promote his latest film "My name is Khan". In that case, he needs to be hauled up. It is worth noting that SRK did not plan his scheduled program in USA after this incident. Had he done that as a token of protest, then I would have appreciated him. But then, he would have had to shell out lot of money to the organizers. So he ate the humble pie, made noises, got some cheap publicity and in the bargain sold our country's image down the line. It might not be a bad idea for the CBI to show the dossier they have on the bollywoods underworld connections to shut him up.
What a fall!
