Thuppal: Stardom clouds impact

Anyone who knows anything about the Indian film industry, Bollywood, has heard of Shahrukh Khan. Dubbed by some as the Brad Pitt of India, Khan is known as one of the industry’s most talented and well-respected actors.

In mid-August, when Khan arrived in Newark Liberty International Airport, he was met with security officials in place of his usual throngs of fans. As part of a routine security check, Khan was held and questioned for slightly over an hour before being eventually released.

When the authorities treat an innocent man of color less than commendably, an uproar is sure to follow. Indians around the world, mostly fans of Khan, have been voicing their concerns, going as far as burning the American flag.

Reports about Khan’s incident have been among the most-read stories on the Times of India website since it happened. And even though the actor himself said the issue was overblown —although he was initially perturbed, saying he did not want to step on U.S. soil again — his brush with U.S. customs is still hot news all over India.

It’s clear that the racket over Khan’s episode is due more to celebrity than credibility. Numerous incidents of racial profiling involving South Asians in America go unnoticed even though they are clearly more heinous than what happened to Khan.

During July of this year, Ravi Shankar, an associate professor at Central Connecticut State University and person of South Asian origin, was stopped by New York City police on suspicion of driving under the influence. Despite passing two sobriety tests, Shankar was arrested and jailed for more than 36 hours.

Before being taken in by police, he was told that a warrant was out for his arrest. Upon examining the warrant, Shankar saw that it was for a white man who wasn’t his same height, weight or age. Although Shankar was ultimately released and cleared of charges, this is a clear case of what he calls “Driving while brown.”

With the exception of an interview with NPR, this story has received little press — the most popular article on the subject was written by Shankar himself.

As a person of South Asian descent, I’m troubled that dramatized stories of celebrity detention can garner more attention than inexcusable treatment at the hands of those who we trust to protect our cities. Sure, Khan’s ordeal is far from amusing, but it shouldn’t become such a grandiose international news story when there is such little substance to it.

Every article I’ve read about Khan and the Newark airport has made mention of his status as Bollywood’s premier actor, but mentions little of the incident itself. Without his celebrity, no one would know or care about episodes like Khan’s.

I know this because nearly every time my family goes through airport security, we’re delayed because of similar screenings. Regardless of whether it’s because of my parents’ accents or that one of our names matched one in the database of suspected terrorists, we leave our security checks hindered but unscathed.

Personally, I am willing to put up with tighter security and small inconveniences if such practices help to ensure the safety of the greater public. However, I will not excuse treatment like that experienced by Shankar. Nor will I pay any heed to the whining of pampered princes like Khan.

Some will say that the involvement of celebrities like Khan will bring more attention to the troubles of South Asians and all people of color in the U.S. being treated less than fairly. I disagree.

When we only pay attention to such issues because of the celebrity of people involved, we forget why these issues should trouble us in the first place. It shouldn’t be because someone of such credentials is subjected to the same processes as common individuals. It should be because people are unjustly, unreasonabaly discriminated against.

Email Hay at hat23@pitt.edu