In the glitzy and glamorous world of cinema actors are often perceived as having a shielded and privileged life; however the reality is far from what we know. Many celebrities share experiences that mirror the fears and discomforts of ordinary people. One similar case has happened with actor Emraan Hashmi who recently revealed being repeatedly stopped at immigration checks in the early years of his career. Emraan recalls being stopped at immigration checks On Wednesday Emraan attended the trailer launch of his upcoming web series Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web in Mumbai. It was during the event that the actor who plays a customs officer in the series was asked if he had ever been stopped or questioned by customs officials at an airport. Looking back Emraan shared a personal experience that goes back to the early 2000s. The actor explained “But it’s not at all logical. I have been called out at immigration checks very early on probably because of earrings or stuff when I used to travel alone. But now when they see me with my sweet family they don’t suspect me.” He further added “Earlier in the early 2000s I used to get whisked away to the side quite a bit. That is called profiling. I fit the bill of somebody but I don’t know who that person was.” Emraan Hashmi on Interaction with Officers When asked if he had ever been stopped at the green channel Emraan shared how officers have been very polite to him. “No I think they have been very sweet to me. Whenever I have travelled back they have been very sweet.” However he admitted that a sense of anxiety still lingers. “But there is this sense of overpowering fear it’s not logical.” Emraan said “It’s like when you learn how to drive but when you see an RTO officer on the road you suddenly get anxious.” Elaborating further he added “So that’s what happens. When I’m travelling alone even though packed only clothes you still feel like you’re carrying 100 kilos of contraband in your bag…” What’s next for Emraan Hashmi Emraan was last seen in Haq a courtroom drama directed by Suparn Varma also featuring Yami Gautam. Next he will be seen in Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web which also stars Sharad Kelkar Zoya Afroz and Nandish Singh Sandhu. The Neeraj Pandey-backed series explores the world of customs officers and smuggling networks and is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on January 14.