Suniel Shetty recalls being at gunpoint during 9/11 attacks in USA: All that we went through at that time...

Suniel Shetty talks about the horrific 9/11 incident

Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty recently talked about a terrifying experience during the 9/11 attacks in the US, while he was there filming for his movie Kaante. At the time, Suniel was in Los Angeles with the film’s team, unaware of the chaos unfolding in New York.

He shared how a simple mistake led to him being mistaken for a threat, which resulted in him being held at gunpoint by the police.

Suniel shared his experience during a conversation with Chanda Kochhar, former CEO of ICICI Bank, on her podcast. He explained that he had woken up on the first day of the shoot to the news of the horrific attack. After watching the events unfold on TV, Suniel went downstairs to leave for the set but realised he had forgotten his hotel room key.

"I was walking into the hotel, got into the lift, and realised I had forgotten my keys. This American gentleman was there. He kept looking at me, and I asked, ‘Do you have the keys? Because I have forgotten mine, and my staff has gone out.’ He ran out and created a commotion. Suddenly, the cops arrived, gunmen from the street, and they said, ‘Down or we shoot,’” Suniel recalled, still visibly shaken by the incident.

The actor continued to explain that he was forced to kneel, and the police handcuffed him, with no idea of what was happening around him. Fortunately, the production team quickly intervened, and one of the hotel managers, a Pakistani gentleman, clarified that Suniel was indeed an actor, which helped resolve the misunderstanding.

Reflecting on the bizarre experience, Suniel said, “And that’s when the production team came, and one of the managers—a Pakistani gentleman at the hotel—stepped in and said, ‘He is an actor.’ All that we went through at that time was insane. I didn’t know what was going to happen next because there was so much commotion, and my beard was that jawline beard,” shared Suniel.

The actor’s recollections highlight the tense atmosphere following 9/11, with even small misunderstandings leading to heightened suspicion.

Kaante, which was released in 2002, starred Suniel alongside other Bollywood heavyweights like Sanjay Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, Kumar Gaurav, and Mahesh Manjrekar. Despite the challenges faced during the shoot, the film remains a key part of his career.