Actor John Abraham, whose new film Romeo Akbar Walter is just around the corner, opened up about his brush with racism during one of his travels in an interview with ZoomTV. The 46-year-old actor revealed how he dealt with racist attitude at an airport once, when someone saw his nationality on his passport and commented "slumdog millionaire". Here's what he told ZoomTV: "I remember someone asked me once... He saw my passport, and he said, slumdog millionaire. I said, No, millionaire." In his response, John also added: "Not for any other reason, but because I can buy you out and my country can buy you out today. We rule, Indians rule," reported ZoomTV.
In the past, actors such as Richa Chadha, Shilpa Shetty and Priyanka Chopra have spoken about their brush with racism at airports. While Richa Chadha tweeted about her encounter in Georgia while on Instagram, Shilpa Shetty wrote about her ordeal at the Sydney airport. "Met a racist officer at the passport control while exiting Georgia. Slammed my passport on the desk, twice... muttered under her breath in Georgian... yelled and asked me to hurry. Sad that people like her are the last ones we perhaps see on exiting the country," Richa wrote in her tweet last year.
In her post, Shilpa tagged the airline in concern and wrote: "This piece is only for Quantas airlines to know and take cognisance that their staff must be taught to be helpful and tone can't change with preference to colour. We are not pushovers and they must know that being callous and rude will not be tolerated."
Priyanka Chopra, who is now a global icon, sometime in 2016 said she was questioned for waiting in the VIP lounge of an airport, reported DNA. Priyanka apparently received an apology later but only after an argument with the concerned airport personnel.
On the work front, John Abraham's Romeo Akbar Walter releases on Friday. The actor also has films like Batla House and Pagalpanti in his line-up.