India Protests

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http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42806000/jpg/_42806789_gere_afp203300.jpg

Some demonstrators called Gere's embrace of Shetty "vulgar"

Actor Richard Gere has sparked protests in India after kissing Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty at an Aids awareness rally in New Delhi.

Demonstrators in Mumbai (Bombay) set light to effigies of the Hollywood star, while protesters in other cities shouted "death to Shilpa Shetty".
The protesters said Gere insulted Indian culture by kissing the hand and face of the Bollywood actress.

Public displays of affection and sex are still largely taboo in India.

Shetty downplayed the incident, saying "it was not so obscene".

"This was not such a big thing for people to over-react in such a manner," the actress told the Press Trust of India news agency.

"I understand people's sentiments, but I don't want a foreigner to take bad memories from here. I understand this is his culture, not ours," she added.

Swooped

Anjali Gopolan, head of Indian Aids prevention group the Naz Foundation, said: "I think he responded as an actor. He was playing to the gallery. I don't see anything bad."

The kissing scenes were regularly played on Indian TV, with some viewers commenting on Gere's actions, while Indian newspapers carried the picture on their front pages.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42807000/jpg/_42807003_shilpa_ap.jpg

Indian star Shilpa Shetty won the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother


The Aids awareness rally focussed on India's truck driving community, with Gere leading proceedings by shouting "no condom, no sex" in Hindi.

The crowd whooped with delight and whistled as the 58-year-old clasped Shetty and kissed her on the face several times.

After the actress recovered her balance, Gere offered her a gallant bow.

Protesters said his embrace of one of the country's leading ladies had been "vulgar" and demanded an apology from the film star.

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NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Three lawyers have filed complaints in Indian courts against Hollywood actor Richard Gere and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty for kissing at a public function, a news report said Wednesday.

In his complaint, attorney Poonal Chandra Bhandari accused the actors of committing "an obscene act" in a public place, which India's conservative society cannot tolerate, PTI said.

Two other lawyers filed another complaint in a court in Ghaziabad, a town on the outskirts of the Indian capital, against Shetty and private television channels for showing videos of the kissing incident, the news agency added.

Such cases against celebrities -- often filed by publicity seekers -- are common in ultraconservative India. They add to a backlog of legal cases in the country that has nearly crippled the judicial system.

The complaints filed Tuesday came a day after angry crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of Richard Gere after he wrapped Shetty in his arms and kissed her several times on her cheeks during an AIDS awareness event in the Indian capital.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Dinesh Chandra Gupta, in the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, ordered private television news channel NDTV to provide the original videotape of the incident by next week, the Press Trust of India news agency said.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Reena Chaudhry said she would hear that complaint on April 18.

Photographs of Gere, 57, embracing Shetty, 31, and kissing her on the cheek were splashed across front pages of newspapers Monday in India -- a country where public displays of affection are largely taboo.

Shetty tried to end the controversy by saying that the hug and the kiss were not obscene and that the public was overreacting.

On Wednesday, her representative, Dale Bhagwagar, declined comment on the court complaints but said Shetty was paying a price for being an international celebrity.

"The media should concentrate on the promotion of the cause of AIDS awareness rather than making an issue out of kisses," Bhagwagar told The Associated Press.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/18/india.gere.ap/

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*roll eyes*

how stoopid is this?

people dont say much bout the porn in bollywood films these days....but cry over this....

[shahr]

Double standards, u know why there is a big fuss cos it was a Gora, but if Shah Rukh Done that then they would have clapped him!!!!

[Confuzzled]

yeah maybe.....

its silly....

they show full on kissing in bollywood movies...

ne 1 seen neal & nikki? well those who have might no wat im talking bout...

this was a harmless kiss on the cheek....they leaned to the side

it wernt on the lips - so y the big fuss

[shahr]

Like i said double standards thats all, I know wat u mean about Neal and Nikki and the famous reveal. lol

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gwad...indians these daysss

[shahr]

Thats true, lol they are either too modern or too extreme

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& in this case - their too extreme (!)

[Guji-Ji]

Firstly remember only a minority hold this view and are crazy.

Secondly how stupid is this! Richard Gere comes to OUR country to help US and we start burning effigys of him for a stupid kiss. I mean what have those crazy effigy burning people ever done for HIV/AIDS! D*ckheads!

[SexyDesi]

lol@burning effgies....... how embarrassing

[desimack]

I don't see the big deal celebrities go off to all over the world to promote themselves and talk shit about how theyr helping others.

Most people in those countries know better than us those celebrities go there for little more than blowing their own images up.

If you saw Shahrukh Khan in America kissing a white girl the outrage would be bigger neway.