India is rational
An arrest warrant has been issued for actor Richard Gere after he publicly kissed the cheek of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty last week. According to the Press Trust of India, judge Dinesh Gupta issued the warrant after receiving a complaint that the public display of affection “offended local sensibilities.” The actor faces up to three months in prison if convicted. AP reports:
Gupta earlier viewed television footage of the event, which he called “highly sexually erotic,” saying the pair violated India’s strict public obscenity laws. According to the judge “Gere and Shetty “transgressed all limits of vulgarity and have the tendency to corrupt the society.” (Source)
Crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of Gere last week because they were so outraged at the kiss. Or maybe they were just disappointed with his performance in Dr. T and the Women (2000). Definitely one of those two.
Seriously, Richard, they’re already one billion people out there.
Do you really think they need highly sexually erotic content.
What a joke. India needs to wake up. They sound like Saudi Arabia!! Maybe they want to tie a brick to his leg and throw him in the family swimming pool. Their bollywood shit is all sexual. I love India but they are wacked. Richard Gere doesn’t even have a dick. How are eunich’s capable of sexuality?
Don’t worry Richard, Scientology will make everything all better.
That’s weird…I’ve been burning effigies of Richard Gere for years now. It’s more of a gerbil protest though.
We Indians still like Mr Gere. In fact no more than a few dozen people at a time took to the streets burning Mr Gere’s effigies and in only four different towns. I am sure you know that India is a country of about a billion people with hundreds of such towns. There were hundreds of people present in the audience when this kissing took place. None of them including Ms Shetty cared about it. Hardly anyone does now.
The judge who issued this warrant works out of a court in small town India and not out of ‘ New Delhi ‘. The lawyer who filed this suit is notorious for filing about fifty similar suits in the past and thus clogging the system. This is not the first time a Public Interest Litigation ( PIL ) application in India has been abused. In a similarly ridiculous attempt, a lawyer had sued a famous cricketer for eating beef! I can assure you no one in India has or will ever go to jail for either eating beef or for kissing someone. This is what Soli Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India had to say about Gere’s warrant - “The order is ridiculous. Even if this hugging and kissing was a bit vulgar, it does not amount to obscenity.”
“They are just seeking publicity,” he said.
Another senior lawyer called the order “an act of judicial indecency.”
“This is only for cheap publicity and the magistrate and lawyer should be restrained,” Dushyant Dave told the Times of India newspaper.
The legal community in India has in fact slammed this warrant.
I am saddened that the American media is sensationalizing this incident by using headlines screaming - ” The Kiss that Shocked India ” or ” Protests Rock India “. Why should the great majority of Indians be made to look retrograde for the actions of a few rascals?
By the way have you checked out the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar from last year? It’s India’s answer to the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition; only the Indian models are less modestly clothed!
C’mon…you guys actually like Richard Gere? I would say that most American’s do not and that’s why the media is sensationalizing it. He’s a narcissistic bag of hot air that would not be missed if he disappeared off the face of North America.
Hi Guys,
I am an Indian, Sorry to comment something which is totally unrelated. Friends, Don’t think India is Rationale. It is open culture which invites a lot from other culture. But then there are some people who want to see their face in a 10 second frame in media. They create every hungama (troubles) about everything. If you do a private party (with payment) then also it is against culture. They create everything unwanted.
Actually if media ignore these people everything is solved. but for media it raise the TRP so they cover those. Visit my blog to see aishwarya rai and Abhishek Bachchan First night picture. Link is http://blogs.bepenfriends.com/Bepenfriends/Archieves/2006/11/19/20061119103241.asp do you know how many people visited this page till now. It is crossing 10000 people.
People are also interested in such kind of news which is creating all these fuzz. My Sincere request is India is not a Rational country. Pls change the title of this post.
Thanks
Bepenfriends: http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sarcasm
Nick
Editor
Celebslam.com