Qhe series of burst kisses – on the cheek – received by Richard Gere cost her dearly. Shilpa Shetty46, internationally acclaimed Indian actress – is one of the most famous stars of the current Bollywoodpopular Hindi-language cinema – has just been cleared of allegations of “obscenity and indecency” that the Rajasthani magistrates had addressed to her in 2007.
Shilpa Shetty (Ansa)
On April 15 of that year, strong also of theirs media powerthe two actors were engaged in an awareness and fundraising campaign for fight AIDS in India.
Probably thrilled that the collection was exceeding expectations, Richard Gere, 72, hugged her and gave her a series of burst kisses on the cheek (below), which she – let’s put ourselves in her shoes – did not refuse.
Shilpa Shetty accused of “obscenities”
After that embrace, however, everything changed for the woman: the actor’s gesture, which in itself had nothing malicious, had however unleashed the fury of several Hindu radical groups. They then went down to the squares and set fire to the images of the two actors, demanding “justice”. Their pressure on public opinion they then induced a local magistrate to indict both of them, precisely with the charge of “obscene acts and indecency“.
Below, men burn photos of the actress in the street
Hindu radicals burn the photos of the actress (Ansa)
But while the accusation against Gere had been dismissed in a short timeso much so that the star – one of the most famous men of Buddhist faith in the world – had even obtained from the Delhi government the allowed to return to the country to meet the Dalai Lamafor the woman things went very differently.
Between rebounds, delays, new trials and whatnot, the Indian judiciary has dragged the proceedings against Shilpa Shetty until last week when a Mumbai judge finally got it called the accusations “without foundation”. «Shetty was the victim of Richard Gere’s exuberance, who, while on stage, the he kissed repeatedly», Wrote the magistrate in his sentence, made public today. The case is closed, and so is it the actress’s nightmare.
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