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A case was filed against Richard Gere and Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, accusing them of obscenity, following a kissing scene involving the two sparked a huge protest across the country. Then an Indian court issued arrest warrant against Richard Gere, who is also an AIDS activist, for breaching the obscenity law in the country. Shilpa Shetty was also summoned by the court.

AFP reported:

“There can be no arrest,” Indira Jaising, Gere’s Indian lawyer, told AFP. “He can come and go when he wants to.”

Gere, who is also an AIDS activist, tightly clasped Shetty — winner of Britain’s Celebrity Big Brother reality show — and planted kisses on her cheek in front of gaping Indian truck drivers at an awareness event in Rajasthan.

The incident last April was aired repeatedly on television and triggered a firestorm in India, where chaste public behaviour is a stern tradition, despite Bollywood’s sexually suggestive song-and-dance routines.

Because of that arrest warrant, India was faced criticism internationally. Shetty also criticized the arrest warrant later on. Then Gere apologized for what he did with Shilpa Shetty and immediately after the warrant, the popular Hollywood actor left the country. Now, everyone wants to see the end of this controversy permanently.

A case was filed against Richard Gere and Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, accusing them of obscenity, following a kissing scene involving the two sparked a huge protest across the country. Then an Indian court issued arrest warrant against Richard Gere, who is also an AIDS activist, for breaching the obscenity law in the country. Shilpa Shetty was also summoned by the court.

AFP reported:

“There can be no arrest,” Indira Jaising, Gere’s Indian lawyer, told AFP. “He can come and go when he wants to.”

Gere, who is also an AIDS activist, tightly clasped Shetty — winner of Britain’s Celebrity Big Brother reality show — and planted kisses on her cheek in front of gaping Indian truck drivers at an awareness event in Rajasthan.

The incident last April was aired repeatedly on television and triggered a firestorm in India, where chaste public behaviour is a stern tradition, despite Bollywood’s sexually suggestive song-and-dance routines.

Because of that arrest warrant, India was faced criticism internationally. Shetty also criticized the arrest warrant later on. Then Gere apologized for what he did with Shilpa Shetty and immediately after the warrant, the popular Hollywood actor left the country. Now, everyone wants to see the end of this controversy permanently.

The Jaipur court has given both the order. Earlier, an advocate from Jaipur, Poonam Chand Bhandari, filed an obscenity kiss of the two actors. The court has also found guilty over the matter as saying the incident was sexually erotic. However, Pooja Bedi, a popular television personality, has recently said in a television program named “Kiss And Tel” that kissing or hugging in public can not go with obscenity; rather it should be found out whether the kissing or hugging indicates affection or obscenity. Shilpa Shetty said that she does not have any problem with the kissing with Richard Gere. So, according to Pooja Bedi, there is nothing to be object able over the matter. IBN Live reported:

When asked to Pooja Bedi that can Indians see people kiss each other in public, she said, “I just want to say one thing at the beginning I love the witticism but the issue is so much more deeper and grave than that. This moral policing has to stop. You look at operation majnu Meerut where they attacked couple for just being together. In a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai where couples are hauled up for hugging each other and holding each other. What have we come to? I don’t think it’s a voice a majority.”

“I don’t think there is anything wrong in showing affection in hugging someone showing that you love somebody. There is difference between affection and obscenity like you have to do a lip lock or tongue kissing may be that something too much to digest but if a person being affectionate, I think nothing wrong in that,” she added.

But who decides what is affection when does it cross over to obscenity who decides that a kiss is ok a hug is fine or a lip lock is not.

Well, I think, Indian culture and tradition do not go with having private affair in public. Richard Gere might not have any knowledge regarding the Indian culture. Moreover, I agree with Pooja that as Shilpa Shetty does not complain for the kissing then it is baseless to make the incident bigger.

Shilpa Shetty

richard gere

Richard Gere Kissing

Rai was ordered to appear before a district court over a scene in which she is kissed lightly on the cheek.
Her Dhoom-II co-star Hrithik Roshan and the owners of a cinema which screened the action film have also been summoned to Muzaffarpur court in the eastern state of Bihar on May 30.
“The court also sent notices to the Bihar government for allowing screening of the film despite its ‘obscene’ content,” a court official said.
He said the judge handed out the orders after a lawyer argued the film “offended public sensibility.”
The 33-year-old Rai, who was crowned Miss World in 1994 and married Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan last week, has not responded to the court order, government officials said in the state capital Patna.

Moreover, a notice was also given to Bihar government as the scene was screened in Bihar. Aishwarya Rai has got married to Abhishek Bachchan last week though a very private affair with the presence of some selective guests in the Bachchan house Prateeksha. Now, it is yet to see how Aishwarya Rai will face the situation.

Shilpa Shetty

richard gere

Richard Gere Kissing

I think the matter should come to an end as I think, Richard Gere did not do that intentionally and he had not any idea regarding the Indian culture.

Richard Gere

Shilpa Shetty

Richard Gere Kissing

Today, I have got a video clip of the kissing scene in YouTube. For your convenience, I am giving a link of the video so that you can experience the scene.

Kissing in public does not go with the Indian culture. Richard Gere might have not known about the matter.

Richard Gere

Shilpa Shetty

Richard Gere Kissing

Richard Gere said he hadn’t understood the Indian customs regarding such matters and that he regretted any problems he had caused for Shilpa Shetty by his action.

Richard Gere also asked for an end to the “media circus” over it and said he hoped it would not detract from the very important message of preventing HIV/AIDS.

A judge had ordered Shilpa Shetty to appear in his court on 5 May, claiming the actress did nothing to stop the kiss, which he described as “highly sexually erotic,” but Richard Gere is reported to have said it was not Shilpa Shetty’s fault.

And Shilpa Shetty sprang to Richard Gere’s defence and said he acted “in good humour” at the time it happened.

I think whatever Mr. Gere did, he did not do it intentionally but he should have had an overall idea regarding the Indian culture before involving in such a sensitive matter.

Richard Gere

Shilpa Shetty

Richard Gere Kissing

The Bollywood actress hit global headlines after she was bullied and insulted by some of the Big Brother housemates, triggering allegations of racial abuse.

Encouraged by her popularity in Britain, Shetty is also reported to be buying a house in an expensive north London neighbourhood as well as setting up the restaurants, the Mumbai Mirror said.

“The flagship restaurant will be at central London,” the Mumbai Mirror quoted Shetty’s agent Farhath Hussain as saying. “The work is moving very swiftly and final details are being chalked out.”

The curry chain will be called “Shilpa Shetty Dining Hall” and will have branches across the country.

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty had a lot of potential when she first got into Bollywood movie through the movie Baazigar for which she won Filmfare Best Debut Award. However, she could not flourish her carrier according to her caliber. Earlier this year, she again came into lime light begin racially abused by some of her reality television show housemates. The incident created a huge uproar in India as well as in England and she eventually won the show. In the last week, she created another controversy being engaged in an open kissing with Hollywood actor Richard Gere at a charity event promoting HIV/AIDS. For the incident, Jaipur court has recently sent a arrest warrant to both the actors.

I think, the year 2007 would be an eventful year for this talented actress. However, she needs to avoid the controversies like the open kissing that might decrease her popularity in India.

Richard Gere

Shilpa Shetty

Richard Gere Kissing