Suniel Shetty recalls being held at gunpoint after 9/11 over misunderstanding: ‘Down or I'll shoot!’

Actor Suniel Shetty recalled recently how he was held at gunpoint while shooting for Kaante in the US. On Chanda Kochhar’s podcast, he recalled how a misunderstanding after 9/11 led to cops putting him on the ground in handcuffs. (Also Read: Suniel Shetty reveals when Athiya, KL Rahul's baby is due; says daughter is looking ‘most beautiful’ while pregnant)

Suniel Shetty on being held at gunpoint

When asked if there was some incident in all his years in the film industry that people would be surprised to know, Suniel spoke about how he reached the US right before the 9/11 attacks happened. He recalled watching what happened on the first day of shooting when he turned on the television. The actor also spoke about how his wife Mana called him, worried for his safety.

He then stated that one day, when he was locked out of his room, he asked to borrow a key, but that led to a misunderstanding. Suniel said, “I had this beard, and I was walking into the hotel. I went into the lift and had forgotten my keys. There was this American gentleman who was there, he kept looking at me. I said, do you have your keys because I’ve forgotten mine and my staff had gone out. I thought he couldn’t understand me and gestured for it, but that worked against me.”

Suniel then remembered how the man ‘ran out and created commotion’ leading to armed policemen swarming in from the street. “The cops came from the street, pointed guns at me and said, down, or I’ll shoot. I didn’t know what was happening. I had to go down on my knees, and they handcuffed me. That’s when production came, and one of the managers was a Pakistani gentleman who told them I was an actor. I didn’t know what was going to happen next; it was a lot of commotion.”

Recent work

Suniel was last seen in the 2023 film Operation Fryday and had a special appearance in the 2024 film Ruslaan. He is now shooting for Welcome to the Jungle and will soon star in Hera Pheri 3. His last south film was the 2022 Telugu dud Ghani.