Hollywood superstar Richard Gere, a well-known Buddhist and active supporter of Dalai Lama, has actively focused on two specific causes: the plight of the Tibetans and Tibetan refugees, and the spread of AIDS in India. And this time Gere causes a hullabaloo in India by being so warm to Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty at an AIDS awareness rally in New Delhi on Sunday.
Gere swept the Bollywood actress into his arms and kissed her several times during an AIDS awareness event that ignited protests in India. Members of the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena in Mumbai burnt effigies of Richard Gere, while, protesters in other cities including Hinduism’s holiest city, Varanasi, Ranchi, and northern town of Meerut, shouted ‘death to Shilpa Shetty.’
The photographs of Gere embracing Shetty were splashed across Monday’s front pages and were repeatedly shown on Indian TV channels. Gere’s courteous kisses would have been accepted by the Indian society as he comes from different cultural background, but the last action to hug the Bollywood actress by almost bending her and kissing her vigorously was highly objectionable as per Indian culture where showing love publicly is still a taboo.
According to protestors Gere had insulted Indian culture by kissing the hand and face of the Indian actress. On the other side Shilpa Shetty was shocked at people’s response. Shilpa was not even allowed to work and the shooting sets of her forthcoming film ‘Metro’ were disrupted by the protestors. Consequently, Shilpa had to call for a press conference to give her side of a story.
At the conference Shetty was lashing out at the media. She said,
It was not so obscene. This was not such a big thing for people to over-react in such a manner. 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.
On the contrary, Prakash Javadekar, the spokesman for Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata Party condemned the kiss. He stated,
Such a public display is not part of Indian tradition.
Protesters said his embrace of one of the country’s leading ladies had been ‘vulgar’ and demanded an apology from the film star.
As Shilpa stated that this is a bit too much and at the same time contradicts the whole incident as not ’so’ obscene, I think she is still living under the veil and might face tough times while making inroads in Hollywood. Her sheer embarrassment reflects the existing difference between two different worlds. Indian Cinema is not bold enough to stand at par with Hollywood - not because of actors’ perception and mindset but because of skewed mindset of the audience. The contradictory remark of Shilpa, who in fact is the first lady to take Bollywood beyond borders, proves this, as the latter statement is made to pacify her fans in India rather than her own conscience. The same scene on the silver screen would have met with quite an uproar and applause; however, in real life it certainly has created a ruckus beyond comprehension. We need to grow up; it’s performance art, isn’t it?
Comments
”Indian Cinema is not bold enough to stand at par with Hollywood” and shrmili Shilpa is not good enough. That’s why I say Bold and the Beautiful Malika Sherawat is the only one that can lead Bollywood to the next level.
making waves on the issue of Gere-Shilpa kissing episode seems as another publicity seeking attempt made by some petty groups. this issue has nothing to do with morality or cultural erosion as is being claimed by so called memebers of the morality brigades. those shouting slogans against Shilpa and Gere must start charity at homes. Dont they finding anything objectionable when menfolks piss in full public view and at times force women to divert thier routes as they find men pissing like dogs on the walls or tree trunks. Morality is respecting each and every aspect of life. Where do these ruckus creating and so-called moral thekedaars of the society had gone hiding when a poor and downtrodden woman in Madhya Pardesh was stripped of by so-called upper caste landlords... #postcomment
just a number game...a tricas ravi has mentioned above......the incident seems pretty analogous to the that of Big Brother when Shilpa was humiliated with rubbish wordings....
its just lessening our ethnic values ourselves n nothing more that this………
Kiss can ignite protests , I don’t think so but still something is there that can be said as objectionable. To show respect by kissing is ok, but to bend someone to kiss forcefully is something that I cannot even digest. This warm action executed with bollywood star Shilpa Shetty publicly is something vulgar, but might be this action is not objectionable for both the promoters.
But I think Richard Gere this action should be condemned because it does not resembles respect but it is something that is triggering uncontrollable love. Really, when I myself watch the video I thought that this is some kind of kissing shoot going on for some Holly wood movie where Miss Shetty is an actress and Richard Gere is a hero.
According to me this shameless act crossed all limits of decency but still I am not able to understand how Miss shetty can explain this act of showing love and respect by simply saying ‘bit too much’.