Even before the controversy over the detention of Bollywood start Shah Rukh Khan at the Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday died down, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan on Friday tweeted out that his application for a British visa has been rejected. He added that he has written to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and said that he is committed to performing at the event. The 50-year-old actor had tweeted expressing his frustration after the incident. “Extremely sad for artists spreading the message of peace and love”, he said on his Twitter handle. He was to perform at the Royal Festival Hall in London next month. “Upset to have my visa rejected”.
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A Southbank Centre spokesperson said: “It is extremely unfortunate that Amjad Ali Khan has been refused a short-term visa to come and perform at Southbank Centre, which we understand is due to a recent change in the visa’s guidelines”. In our country, this is not cool. He is someone who has worked all his life for the country and peace. “The government should take interest why they (UK) are doing this”. After the apologies, the actor said he respects protocol but being stopped at the airport was “a tad inconvenient”.
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Earlier in the day, Shah Rukh Khan shared with his Twitter followers, “I fully understand and respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at United States immigration every damn time really sucks”. He tweeted, “I fully understand & respect security with the way the world is, but to be detained at USA immigration every damn time really really sucks”.
