Thousands turned out for a swirling celebration of India-American pride Sunday, but all they could talk about was the detention of a Bollywood superstar.
Onlookers in bright saris cheered as colorful floats blaring Bhangra tunes rolled down Madison Ave. for the 29th India Independence Day Parade.
Even as they cheered and waved flags, many in the crowd said the questioning of leading man Shah Rukh Khan weighed on their minds.
"I have been through the ordeal Khan saw," said Tahir Nehmood, 28, an engineer who was once held at Kennedy Airport. "You have to ask, 'Muslims are stopped the most often. Why is that?'"
Paradegoers were particularly upset that a man known as "our Brad Pitt" could be mistaken for a terrorist.
"It's sad," said Ram Iyer, 29, a financial controller who moved to the U.S. from Mumbai in 2002. "He's very renowned. This was not right."
Khan was questioned for more than an hour at Newark Airport Friday after his name appeared on a security checklist, U.S. Customs officials said.
The Muslim actor came to the U.S. to promote a new film, "My Name Is Khan," about ethnic profiling after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Angry fans in one northern Indian city burned an American flag as word of Khan's detention spread. Still, the incident did not stop the annual celebration in Manhattan.
Reshma Shetty, one of the best-known Indian-American actresses, made a splash atop the Daily News float.
Onlookers in bright saris cheered as colorful floats blaring Bhangra tunes rolled down Madison Ave. for the 29th India Independence Day Parade.
Even as they cheered and waved flags, many in the crowd said the questioning of leading man Shah Rukh Khan weighed on their minds.
"I have been through the ordeal Khan saw," said Tahir Nehmood, 28, an engineer who was once held at Kennedy Airport. "You have to ask, 'Muslims are stopped the most often. Why is that?'"
Paradegoers were particularly upset that a man known as "our Brad Pitt" could be mistaken for a terrorist.
"It's sad," said Ram Iyer, 29, a financial controller who moved to the U.S. from Mumbai in 2002. "He's very renowned. This was not right."
Khan was questioned for more than an hour at Newark Airport Friday after his name appeared on a security checklist, U.S. Customs officials said.
The Muslim actor came to the U.S. to promote a new film, "My Name Is Khan," about ethnic profiling after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Angry fans in one northern Indian city burned an American flag as word of Khan's detention spread. Still, the incident did not stop the annual celebration in Manhattan.
Reshma Shetty, one of the best-known Indian-American actresses, made a splash atop the Daily News float.
As soon as Shetty walked out of her car, two young fans ran up to her cla
Source: NYDAILYNEWS
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