CHENNAI, July 22: Indian movie stars have bene told not to crack jokes, sing aloud or flex their muscles while flying to Malaysia and Singapore this week, following an incident in which an Indian actress sparked a terror alert at a US airport.

The South Indian Actors Association advised its 200 film stars, among them celluloid “villains”, to refrain from resorting to mimicry on their way to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to give a cultural performance.

He said the behaviour code was drawn up because the association did not want to attract the attention of security agencies.

Last week, south Indian actress Samyuktha Verma and seven members of her entourage were questioned by US law enforcement agencies after a passenger on board their flight became suspicious.

The actress and other members of the group, who were on their way to New York from Chicago for a cultural function, were seen passing notes, changing seats and mimicking some actors — apparently as a rehearsal their roles in the event.

The aviation authorities in the United States were alerted and the plane was escorted to the airport by two military F-16s. Later they were released after being questioned.—AFP