ahahahaha! 
must have taken his gerbil hostage 
Gere apologises to Indians over Shetty
kiss
Hollywood star Richard Gere, ordered arrested by an Indian court
for kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, offered on Friday a
"sincere apology" for any offence he caused.
His statement came a day after the court issued an arrest warrant
against him for allegedly "obscene" behavior for embracing Shetty
and planting several kisses on her cheeks during an AIDS awareness
event earlier this month.
"What is most important to me is that my intentions as an HIV/AIDS
advocate be made clear and my friends in India understand it has
never been nor could it ever be, my intention to offend you," said
Gere in the statement to the Indian media.
"If that has happened, of course it is easy for me to offer a
sincere apology," said the actor, who is back in the United
States.
The incident triggered a public storm in India, known for its
chaste public behaviour despite Bollywood's sexually suggestive
song-and-dance routines.
Radical Hindus burned effigies of the 57-year-old Gere in India's
entertainment hub of Mumbai and organised street rallies in New
Delhi.
In the statement addressed to "My dear Indian friends," Gere said
"to be honest, this recent media storm has taken me by
surprise."
"What we thought was a very successful HIV/AIDS event has taken a
sad turn," he said.
The event "was intended to celebrate courageous people and
partnerships in the supremely important fight against HIV/AIDS," he
said.
Gere embraced the 31-year-old Shetty -- winner of Britain's
Celebrity Big Brother reality show earlier this year -- and kissed
her playfully on the cheek in front of thousands of onlookers at
the AIDS function in New Delhi.
The warrant for Gere and a summons for Shetty were issued in the
Rajasthan state capital of Jaipur following a complaint by a lawyer
who accused the actor of "an obscene act" which carries a penalty
of three months imprisonment, a fine or both."
Gere added he was sorry Shetty had been embroiled in the "media
circus," praising her as "a wonderful woman who deserves high
praise and support for her singular leadership against
HIV/AIDS."
"I assure you, I have utmost respect for her, and she knows this.
Of course, I've felt terrible that she should carry a burden that
is no fault of hers. The burden is mine and no one else's," he
said.
Shetty shot to international fame after appearing in the British TV
programme and winning after being subjected to alleged racist
bullying.
Describing the way he kissed Shetty, Gere said the step was a copy
from his movie "Shall We Dance".
"My clumsy attempt at a 'Shall We Dance' move was a naive misread
of Indian customs and I assure you nothing more."
Shetty had appealed for calm after the kissing incident.
"Nothing of the sort happened about which I should feel bad or any
other Indian should feel bad," said Shetty.
Gere, who left India soon after the event, is a frequent visitor as
a follower of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who lives in
northern India in exile.
He also visits India in his capacity as an AIDS awareness
campaigner.
India has the largest number of HIV-AIDS cases in the world, with
5.7 million people infected, according to UNAIDS.
Several Indian lawyers have voiced outrage over the arrest warrant
and said it should be withdrawn.
"Magistrates should not behave like the Taliban moral police. The
order is unsustainable and makes us looks ridiculous," former
Indian attorney general Soli Sorabjee said.
(source: Yahoo News)
