Knighthood is Kingsley's passport to troubled regions

Washington, January 17 : Sir Ben Kingsley credits his knighthood for enabling him to reach parts of the world inhabited by the oppressed and the refugees as an ambassador for his homeland, so that he may reassure people that the British are not ignoring their plight.

The 'Gandhi' star, knighted in 2001, says that the title of 'Sir' is like a passport for him because it allows him access to far-flung places.

"Sir is a little bit of a passport to help you get out to other people and say, I'm a Brit and I'm privileged to be here," Contactmusic quoted him as saying.

"We just want you to know that we haven't forgotten all about you and you're a vital part of our consciousness and our planet," he added.

Kingsley's knighthood has helped him connect with world leaders, and this chain in turn helps him reach the needy people.

"I was fortunate enough to be invited to Pakistan after the earthquake, just to tell them (victims), We're there, we know what's going on, what you've been through.' I went to Afghanistan for the first time after the Taliban were thrown out, and little girls were going to school for the first time in God knows how many years," he said.

"I went to the Palestinian refugee camps and we were able to screen Gandhi on that wall that divides the Palestinian territory from the Israeli territory," he added.

ANI