Protesters in India burn [Richard] Gere effigies

[Kerrytravelers]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070416/ap_en_mo/people_gere_kiss_protests

NEW DELHI - Angry crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of Richard Gere on Monday after he swept a popular Bollywood actress into his arms and kissed her several times during an AIDS-awareness event.

Photographs of the 57-year-old actor embracing Shilpa Shetty and kissing her on the cheek at an HIV/AIDS awareness event in New Delhi were splashed across Monday's front pages in India — a country where sex and public displays of affection are largely taboo.

In Mumbai, members of the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena beat burning effigies of Gere with sticks and set fire to glamorous shots of Shetty.

<snip>

The two appeared at a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday to highlight the HIV/AIDS epidemic among India's truck drivers. In front of a cheering crowd, Gere kissed the giggling Shetty on the hand, then kissed her on both cheeks before bending her in a full embrace to kiss her cheek again.







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Me personally, I had no idea that the people of India feel this way about open affection. I wonder if Gere did or not. But nonetheless, burring in effigy seems a bit much. I kind of wonder if the right-wong guys who are doing the protesting aren't actually upset about the fact that he was there for AIDS awareness and had been mixing with the people of India, discussing the topic and this kiss became a convenient excuse for them. I dunno...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. i doubt that all of india is outraged. shiv sena is very much akin to a christian right wing group

and literally get outraged over everything.

[Kerrytravelers]

6. I didn't know who Shiv Sena was before this story.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

8. well they are the radical branch of the bjp.

[LSK]

2. why am I thinking of the movie Borat?

:shrug:

[Kerrytravelers]

7. I haven't seen that yet!

[Kali]

3. excuse the catty remark, but

THAT is Richard Gere??!!! God he looks like the old guy that runs the filling station down town.

[Kerrytravelers]

9. It's amazing what all these "pretty" people look like without make-up and flattering lighting.

I live in the Los Angeles area, so I occasionally see someone famous. They usually look quite different in person!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Obviously Bollywood didn't do his makeup that day

It'd be so cool if there could be just one makeup-free-celebrity day a year.

[Sequoia]

17. Me-e-e-eow! That's the funniest thing posted today.

[edbermac]

4. They must have just screened 'American Gigolo'.

:rofl:

[Kerrytravelers]

10. Bwwwwaaaaahhhhh !!!!!!!! **snort**

:rofl:

[Deep13]

5. So this isn't about the gerbils.

:shrug:

[Kerrytravelers]

11. Bwwwwaaaaahhhhh !!!!!!!! **snort**

:rofl:

[Writer]

12. Richard Gere stars in "Indian Gigolo."

Blech. Extremism has no place in the world.

[guitar man]

14. damn

she's hot, I would have been tempted to sweep her up and give her a smooch myself :evilgrin:

[MrScorpio]

15. Another controversy for Ms. Shetty

UK Big Brother fans know this well

Richard screwed up

[PassingFair]

16. That was pretty "Shetty" of him.....

We watch a LOT of Bollywood, and they DO NOT kiss in those movies...

NEVER!

[Kerrytravelers]

19. Really? I've never seen a Bollywood film. I had no idea.

[JI7]

20. but they do a lot of other stuff that is far more intense than just kissing

have you seen some of the dancing they do. so it's funny they get upset over a kiss.

i hate these people. they are part of the reason why the country has problems and is backwards.

india has a lot of problems and i get disgusted by the morons there who get outraged at things like this.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

21. That's true.

[dembotoz]

18. maybe they watched some of his movies...

I can understand it then

[mark414]

22. some people need to get a grip

:shrug:

[Blue_Tires]

23. which is a shame, because

there are so many legit reasons other than this to have a Richard Gere protest....but hey, Shetty is HAWTT! I'd be all over her, too if i ever got that close:evilgrin: :crazy: :P

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

24. If you're protesting Richard Gere...

I think you may have skipped over a couple of far-more-worthy moral outrages.

[mark414]

25. like Runaway Bride?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

26. Precisely...

And what was the other movie, the really bad Richard Gere movie...(INSERT PUNCHLINE HERE)