Shilpa Shetty & Richard Gere kissing Incident
Monday, April 16, 2007
We've always known Shilpa Shetty is a pretty woman, but now we have an official endorsement from a visibly smitten Richard Gere. At Seena Taan Ke, an AIDS awareness function organised in Delhi on Sunday to benefit truckdrivers, Gere and Shetty spoke to the vulnerable community about the dangers and misconceptions of AIDS. Gere, looking more than a trifly dizzy, didn't seem content merely to mention that HIV can't be passed on through a kiss on the cheek deciding to make his point by kissing first Shilpa's hand, then hugged her, kissed her cheek, and finally bent over the surprised actress to give her a big kiss, Hollywood-style.
Event list
Richard Gere, who at one time was voted the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People Magazine, has landed himself in a bit of a predicament this week for using his irresistible manly charm at an AIDS awareness event in India. Gere appeared at a press conference with Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty yesterday, and in front of a cheering crowd proceeded to kiss Shetty on the hand and on both cheeks, before embracing and dipping her down to give her another peck on the cheek. Little did he know, such public displays of affection are largely taboo in India, and in bold violation of their view of propriety. The incident has (apparently) ignited a massive uproar across India, with angry crowds (consisting mainly of right-wing Hindu groups) taking to the streets in several cities to burn pictures of Gere and Shetty. Some are even demanding his arrest.
India's love affair with Shilpa Shetty has gone up in flames after a public embrace with Richard Gere. Crowds burned posters of the Celebrity Big Brother winner and the American actor in protest at their behaviour. TV news bulletins repeatedly showed Gere, 57, kissing the 31-year-old actress during an Aids awareness rally. Religious fundamentalists and Hindu nationalists consider any display of public affection taboo.
It is all the worse when the pair in question are unmarried. And a further aggravating factor is that Gere is a non-Hindu foreigner.
Jaipur court issued arrest warrants yesterday for Richard Gere – the Hollywood actor, and Shilpa Shetty – the Bollywood star, after he kissed her on the cheek at a public event to promote Aids awareness. Dinesh Gupta, a judge in the northwestern city of Jaipur, issued the warrants after a local lawyer filed a complaint accusing the pair of committing an “obscene act.
Richard Gere hugged and kissed Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty at an HIV-AIDS awareness event in New Delhi, India, on March 15th, 2007 and has been the subject of controversy ever since, something that has forced the actor to apologize for his public display of affection while possibly facing arrest. On Thursday, an Indian court issued arrest warrants for Richard Gere and Shilpa Shetty for their public kiss, something that evoked strong protests by hardcore Hindu groups. Until Richard Gere had to be concerned about possible jail time, the star of Chicago had pretty much written it off as a non-issue, thinking that it was only a select few that were burning effigies of the star and Shilpa Shetty, but now he's concerned enough to apologize and try and calm the people that may be upset.