In a surprising story, actor Suniel Shetty shared a frightening experience he had in Los Angeles right after the September 11 attacks in 2001. While he was in the city to film the movie “Kaante,” directed by Sanjay Gupta, he found himself in a terrifying situation where police mistakenly thought he was a threat and held him at gunpoint.
During a recent interview on Chanda Kochhar’s YouTube channel, Shetty described how he had just arrived in Los Angeles when the attacks happened. The scenes of the disaster shown on television felt unreal. Just days after the tragedy, he faced a serious misunderstanding. As he entered his hotel and took the elevator, he realized he had forgotten his room keys. He asked an American man nearby if he could help him find the keys since his staff was outside. This simple request led to chaos. The man panicked and ran out, which quickly attracted the attention of armed police officers.
Shetty recalled, “Suddenly, armed cops rushed in and shouted, ‘Down or we shoot!’” He was stunned and didn’t know what was happening. The police ordered him to kneel down and put handcuffs on him. The whole scene unfolded very quickly, and Suniel admitted he was in a state of shock.
Fortunately, the situation changed when the film’s production team and a hotel manager who was a Pakistani gentleman arrived on the scene. They explained to the police that Suniel was an actor, and this clarification helped resolve the misunderstanding. “That’s when the production team came and the hotel manager told them I was an actor. The entire incident felt unreal, and I had no idea what would come next,” he recounted.
Reflecting on what went wrong, Shetty realized that his attempt to gesture for help may have been misunderstood. He suggested that when he pointed to the key and the lift, it may have looked suspicious to the American man. “I thought maybe he didn’t understand English, so I tried to signal ‘key’ and ‘lift.’ But sadly, that worked against me,” he said.
“Kaante,” the movie he was filming at the time, was inspired by the film “Reservoir Dogs” and also starred popular actors like Sanjay Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kumar Gaurav. Today, Suniel Shetty remains active in the film industry, working on several projects. He is set to appear in “Welcome to the Jungle,” where he will reunite with actor Akshay Kumar. This new movie is directed by Ahmed Khan and features a strong cast, including Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, and Raveena Tandon. Additionally, Shetty is expected to reprise his role in the upcoming “Hera Pheri 3.”
This unsettling experience serves as a reminder of how quickly misunderstandings can escalate, especially in tense situations. Suniel Shetty’s story highlights the challenges he faced due to his appearance during a time of fear and uncertainty, drawing attention to the importance of communication and understanding between individuals from different cultures.