The Darker Side: When Celebs Were Racially Abused

The Darker Side: When Celebs Were Racially Abused

Priyanka Chopra was heard talking about facing racial barbs in the US during her teenage days. We list a few Bollywood names who've had a brush with racial profiling. Even with strict laws in place today to prevent racist attacks, Indians traveling or housed in abroad do at times end up becoming unsuspecting victims to racist profiling.

Priyanka Chopra

In one of her interviews, Priyanka Chopra spoke about her ordeal as a school student in the US. Even as an actress, initial Hollywood offers contained roles that projected her as the stereotypical exotic Indian princess riding on an elephant, roles that she never took.

SRK

SRK was first detained in August 2009 for over two hours at Newark airport where was to attend India's Independent Day parade. In an interview, he had said, 'They kept telling me that my name is common to some name that has popped up on the computer, so they need to follow procedure.

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu

The couple that is now separated,along with Arshad Warsi, faced racial abuse and ridicule while shooting in London for the film, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. John was quoted as saying, 'When you come to London and are shooting, it's the last thing you expect.'

Shilpa Shetty

Her appearance in the UK reality show Big Brother drew international attention and widespread outburst when her fellow contestant Jade Goody made some unwanted racist comments against her. It snowballed into an international issue prompting the then UK Prime Minister Tony Blair to condemn the episode. However, it ended well for the actress as she won the TV show.

Neil Nitin Mukesh

It might sound outlandish, but when the actor landed in New York with Katrina Kaif, to shoot for the movie New York, he was detained as officials felt he looked 'too fair' to be an Indian. The actor finally had to ask the officials to 'Google' his name to confirm his real identity as an Indian actor.

Om Puri

The veteran actor, who has played memorable parts in Bollywood and Hollywood movies, faced racism during his early days in the West. He told in an interview, 'I did feel it when I came here for the first time in 1984, but now I don't. One used to get worried going into the Tube station because of the skinheads around. They had a very terrifying look on their faces.'