The Indian performer Shilpa Shetty has been acquitted 15 years after the accusation presented in court for a parody of 'Shall We Dance?'.
Some real stories seem taken from the plots of the worst TV movies. In 2007, a chance kiss between Hollywood actor Richard Gere and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, at an AIDS gala in New Delhi, awakened the darkest side of Indian society. This event resulted in a complaint in court against the performers for 'obscenity'.
The moment in question was pointed out by Gere himself as a parody of the film Shall We Dance? (by Peter Chelsom), in which the actor starred in 2004 alongside Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon. A reference that many seemed not to understand and that caused a real stir in the Asian country. 15 years later, the Bombay court has dismissed the case and acquitted the 47-year-old performer, whose charges have been deemed "unfounded."
Richard Gere's involvement in the controversy
Radical Hindu groups protested in 2007 against the rapprochement between the actors, which for them was "an insult against Indian values." Charges that, although they initially also fell on Gere, quickly focused on Shetty for not "resisting" the kiss... on the cheek! The worst machismo spoke again.
Gere spoke about this issue that same year on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. "There is a very small, right-wing, and very conservative political party in India. They are the moral police of the country, and they do this kind of thing quite frequently. Although I don't know if anyone has actually gone to jail for this."
The American also pointed out the misunderstanding and "the circus" set up around him. "My clumsy attempt to emulate the dance moves from Shall We Dance? was naively interpreted by Indian customs." Some sensual dance movements that seemed not to be liked too much in this country.
