Tuesday, 1 May 2007

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Shilpa Shetty: Outrage over Richard Gere is so stupid

Actress blames 'lunatic fringe' for furore

Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty can't believe the fuss being made about Richard Gere giving her an innocent kiss in public.

The actor took her in his arms at an Aids awareness do in India and created a scandal.

'Can you believe it? It's so, so stupid,' Shilpa, 31, exclaims. 'The lunatic fringe went ballistic over nothing.

'Richard was bending me backwards and he kissed me on the cheek. But the news stations were rewinding and replaying the same shot over and over again on primetime TV. They didn't talk about the HIV problem that faces this country.

'I was furious when I saw people burning effigies of Richard. That sort of behaviour is not representative of my country.'

Shilpa is refusing to say she's sorry for her own part in the 'scandalous' embrace.

'I'm not a prude or a hypocrite, and I'm not going to apologise for something that has no importance,' she tells the Daily Mail Weekend magazine. 'Intolerance of any sort has to be corrected.'