Mumbai: Though taken aback by Hollywood star Richard Gere's public display of affection at an Aids event in Delhi, Bollywood's much-in-the-news star Shilpa Shetty has stoutly defended him saying he is not capable of doing anything obscene.
"I wish the electronic media wouldn't play the clip over and over again. It's annoying and serves no purpose. There're so many larger issues. In fact, we were there to spread Aids awareness among truckers," Shilpa said.
"Richard has been doing this unconditionally. What does he have to gain from this? He keeps coming back to our country. He is such a gentleman. He is incapable of indecent behaviour. I know indecent behaviour when I see it."
Explaining her much-publicised hug, she said: "Earlier during the day during lunch we were teasing him about a dance step in Shall We Dance? When he suddenly bent me down on stage he was doing that whole step from Shall We Dance? I was as taken aback as the people who saw it. It was nothing but a joke and not pre-planned at all."
Hindu rightwing Shiv Sena members on Monday burnt pictures of Gere and Shetty. They even disrupted a press conference addressed by the actress in Mumbai.
As for the moralists accusing her of unbecoming conduct, Shilpa said: "It was just a kiss on my cheek! What's the big hue and cry about?"
There had been a similar uproar when many years ago Padmini Kolhapure kissed Prince Charles.
"That was on the lips. This was on the cheek, for crying out loud! No one can question me about my values. I agree a posture like that in public is against our culture. But doesn't our culture say that a guest is like god? Was I supposed to snub Richard in a public place when what he was doing was just for fun?"
