Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh recently shared a shocking experience about being detained at a New York airport, where U.S.
Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh revealed that he was detained at a New York airport as officials refused to believe he was Indian.
Bollywood actor Neil Nitin Mukesh recently shared a startling experience from his visit to the U.S., where he was detained and questioned about his nationality at a New York airport. Speaking to Mashable India, Neil revealed that despite holding an Indian passport, immigration officers refused to believe he was Indian.
The incident took place during the filming of New York (2009), ironically a movie that revolved around post-9/11 racial profiling. Neil recalled, “I was detained at the airport. They refused to believe that I had an Indian passport and that I was Indian. They didn’t even let me answer or say anything for myself.”
What started as a routine check soon turned into an exasperating four-hour ordeal as officials kept questioning him without giving him a chance to clarify his identity.
Neil recounted how the situation finally de-escalated. “After four hours, they came and asked, ‘What do you have to say?’ and I simply said, ‘Just Google me.’”
The response seemingly caught the officers off guard. Embarrassed by their mistake, they quickly changed their tone, shifting from interrogation to curiosity. “They started asking me about my grandfather, my father, and my family’s legacy,” Neil added.
Coming from a prestigious lineage in Indian cinema, Neil is the grandson of legendary playback singer Mukesh and the son of noted singer Nitin Mukesh.
On the work front, Neil Nitin Mukesh is currently seen in the satirical action comedy Hisaab Barabar, directed by Ashwni Dhir. The film features R Madhavan, Kirti Kulhari, Rashami Desai, and Faisal Rashid, and follows a railway ticket checker who stumbles upon discrepancies in minor bank transactions, leading to a shocking discovery about systemic corruption. The film is now streaming on ZEE5.
Despite coming from a musical family, the actor chose to pursue acting. He made his debut as a child artist in Vijay (1988) and later transitioned into lead roles with Johnny Gaddaar (2007), a neo-noir thriller that earned him critical acclaim. His career includes diverse performances in films such as New York (2009), Lafangey Parindey (2010), David (2013), and Saaho (2019).
