Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Richard Gere burned in effigy over kisses

Richard Gere angered Hindu nationalists when he kissed Bollywood star, Shilpa
Shetty, on the cheek:

Richard Gere's repeated kisses on the cheeks of Bollywood actress Shilpa
Shetty in an event to promote AIDS awareness sparked protests in India on
Monday (April 16) with demonstrators burning effigies of the actors.

[...]

Footage of the Hollywood star sweeping Shetty backwards in a
dramatic embrace at the Sunday night event in New Delhi was repeatedly aired
on news channels on Monday (April 16).

Many saw the act as an outrage against Shetty's modesty and Indian culture,
though Shetty herself angrily dismissed the protests as an
"over-reaction" that made India look silly.

Groups of men burned and kicked effigies of the actors in protests across
India, including in the northern Indian cities of New Delhi, Kanpur, Meerut
and Varanasi as well as in the central city of Indore.

Some called for the actors' deaths. Others wanted public apologies.

"We are unable to accept it. What is going own is very wrong. The
thing Gere has done is completely wrong," a Hindu radical Shiv Sena
activist said out side a film set where Shetty's film shoot was on.
Here's a video of the kissing (via).