Film star Sunil Shetty, currently shooting in Los Angeles for Sanjay Gupta's multi-starrer Kaante, was allegedly roughed up by some American youths after being mistaken for an Afhgan, industry sources told Mid-Day. Shetty, however, claimed there was no violence involved.

The incident occurred a couple of days after the World Trade Centre bombing on September 11. Shetty was rescued by a local police officer but not before sustaining some injuries.

According to industry sources, Shetty was sporting a beard for his role as a bouncer in the movie which led him being assualted.

But Shetty said, "It was my beard that drew their attention. They approached a local police officer who sought my identification courteously and was convinced that I was not an Afghani. Nobody beat me up or even touched me. There was no violence at all."

Shetty's friends in the film industry don't believe him. Kaante, a film on the underworld, has an impressive star cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar and Kumar Gaurav.

The film, being shot at Hollywood, is likely to be completed in two months.