
Budding actor Neil Nitin Mukesh was detained at an airport in the United States for over an hour because the immigration officials refused to believe that he was an Indian.
Neil said the incident happened earlier this year when he arrived in New York for shooting of 'New York' which has a backdrop of 9/11 terror attacks.
"I can pass off as a Britisher, American, Kashmiri easily because my skin tone and complexion can blend anywhere.
But this incident changed my attitude of how I will approach my role in 'New York' which also dwells upon discrimination," Neil, grandson of legendary playback singer Mukesh, said in an interview.
He recalled asking the official if his accent was not
an enough proof that he was an Indian national. "I told him to google search my name. When he realized his folly, he was still not willing to let me go and started asking questions about my profession like what kind of films I do and why am I in New York," Neil said.
The young actor said that while leaving the immigration office finally, he thanked the official because he had found the crux of what 'New York' is all about.
Neil described 'New York' as an intelligently made film which will pick up at the box office through the word of mouth.
"Too much of publicity heightens the level of expectations and some times proves detrimental to the film's interests. We are very confident of our product," he said.
Speaking about 'New York', Neil said the 9/11 terror attacks had affected everybody especially the youth and shook the entire world.
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