New York: Hollywood actor Richard Gere downplayed an Indian court order for his arrest for publicly kissing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on the cheek.
Gere swooped up Shetty in his arms and kissed her several times on the cheek at an event in New Delhi last week to promote AIDS awareness. It sparked protests in India.
"Me kissing the girl on the cheek was nothing," Gere told cable channel Comedy Central's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart late on Thursday.
A court in the northern city of Jaipur ordered Gere's arrest in response to a complaint by a local lawyer. The star could face three months in jail for such an offence.
"There is a very small right-wing, very conservative political party in India and they are the moral police in India ... they do this kind of thing quite often," Gere said.
Gere, a devout Buddhist, visits India frequently to meet the Dalai Lama and is a vocal supporter of the Tibetan cause.
Shetty, the winner of the Celebrity Big Brother reality TV show in Britain this year, had said the kiss may have gone a "little overboard" but it was not obscene.
Your comments
There was nothing so spicy in this story for it to become headline news. I think Richard did not do anything wrong.
Dhareef
Bangalore,India.
This is just an overreaction. Richard Gere is, after all, American and he was just showing his affection.
Ssety
Dubai,UAE
'When in Rome, kiss as Romans do'....behind doors and not on stage as in India since that is what their cultural norms dictate.
John
Toronto,Canada
The kiss was nothing. If it was malicious then it would have been done in private, not in front of millions of viewers.
Estrelita
Dubai,UAE
Richard gave Shilpa a friendly kiss. So what?
Raymond
Sharjah,UAE
Anything within the limits of decency is fine.
Renie
Dubai,UAE
It is poor show in Indian society for a man to kiss a girl in public.
Srikanth
Hyderabad,India
