After his detention at a US airport sparked a furore in India, Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan on Monday asked people back home not to take the issue further, even as he said that America needs to offer "a little more warmth and speed in its processes".
In Houston where he arrived from Chicago to attend a 'Meet and Greet' carnival, Mr. Khan who was "inspected" at the New York airport on his arrival from India, said he respected the procedures the US requires incoming foreigners to follow but maintained his experience was "not pleasant".
The actor, who had earlier told his fans that he did not feel like stepping on US soil again, said while everybody loves what America has to offer "but I think it needs to offer a little more warmth and speed in its processes".
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However, he requested "everyone" back home not to take the issue "further than it should be".
"I didn't mean it to be like this. Because I had to make a few calls to get out of that place, so I guess it became a big piece of news," he told CNN IBN.
Mr. Khan, 43, was stopped and questioned at Newark airport on his arrival from India for about two hours on Saturday and was released only after the Indian consulate intervened, an incident that caused widespread anger in India with the government saying it would take up the issue with the US.
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"I just like to tell people that I do understand the anger and angst and disturbance that an incident like this can cause to one's psyche," the actor said.