My actions were innocent: Richard Gere

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) Reacting to the huge storm generated over his 'peck on the cheek' of Shilpa at an AIDS awareness event in the Capital, Hollywood actor Richard Gere today said his actions were ''innocent'' and that he had no intention of hurting Indian sensibilities.

In a statement on the NDTV news channel, a day after a local court in Jaipur issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him in response to a petition charging the two stars of behaving obscenely in public, Gere said,''after nearly 10 years of charitable work in India, I assure you my actions were innocent and have been entirely removed from context.'' Gere said the kissing act with Shetty was an enactment of a scene from his film "Shall We Dance" and that it was in celebration of the people who had supported his Heroes Project to fight HIV/AIDS.

Expressing concern over the controversy that the said incident had caused trouble to Shilpa and her family, Gere said,''it (the incident) has been presented as a disregard for Indian customs. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologise to Shilpa Shetty and her family for the trouble this has caused her.'' During an AIDS awareness campaign for truck drivers in New Delhi on April 15, Gere hugged Shetty tightly on the stage, bent her over and kissed her repeatedly on the cheek.

The incident led to a storm of protests in several cities with many sections saying kissing in public was indecent and against Indian culture.

Legal experts have criticised the local court for issuing arrest warrants, saying its order was contrary to judicial norms.

UNI