Shilpa amazed at kiss outcry

Updated 16.36 Tue Apr 17 2007

Keywords: Bollywood, Shilpa Shetty, Richard Gere

Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty has said she is amazed at the outcry over her kissing stunt with Hollywood actor Richard Gere.

The smooch at an Aids awareness event triggered an angry reaction in India - where public displays of affection are frowned upon. It resulted in furious crowds in several cities burning burnt effigies of Gere and the Celebrity Big Brother winner.

"Oh my God, so much has been blown out of proportion" - Shilpa Shetty

Shetty said: "Oh my God, so much has been blown out of proportion... I think too much has been made out of something that was really quite unimportant."

"Then they (broadcasters) kept playing and replaying it on the channels and people didn't even know why we were there, and that kind of saddened me and infuriated me. People never even talked about the issues."

Shetty said she did not believe that the effigy-burners - who in Mumbai were members of the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena - were typical of her country.

"It was just, you know, some lunatic fringe - that complete minority voice - that definitely doesn't represent the symbol of my country."

Shetty said she was more concerned for Gere and hoped the Indian public would respect the work he has done there for HIV and Aids.