Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty was in the US when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York in 2001. At the time, he was in Los Angeles filming Sanjay Gupta’s action-thriller Kaante with the movie’s team.
According to Instant Bollywood, in a recent interview, he recalled a tense encounter where he was held at gunpoint by the police, likely due to suspicion arising from his beard, which he had grown for the film.
Speaking to Chanda Kochhar, former CEO of ICICI Bank, on her podcast, Suniel recounted waking up on the first day of the shoot and seeing news of the 9/11 attacks on TV. Later, as he returned to his hotel room, he realized he had forgotten his key—an incident that triggered suspicion.
“I entered the hotel, got into the elevator, and realized I didn’t have my key. There was an American gentleman inside, staring at me. I asked, ‘Do you have the keys? I forgot mine, and my staff is out.’ He suddenly ran out and created a commotion. Moments later, armed police stormed in and shouted, ‘Down or we shoot,’” the Border actor recalled.
Suniel was confused by the situation but complied as officers handcuffed him. The film’s production team soon intervened, and a hotel manager of Pakistani origin stepped in to clarify that Suniel was an actor.
“That’s when the production team and a Pakistani gentleman from the hotel stepped in and said, ‘He is an actor.’ It was a chaotic moment. I had no idea what would happen next, and my beard at the time had a sharp jawline,” he shared.
Suniel believes the misunderstanding occurred because the man in the elevator didn’t understand English. “I think he didn’t speak English. I gestured ‘key, lift,’ but it backfired,” he recalled.
