Richard Gere in "Pretty Woman 2: Don't Kiss Me Shilpa Shetty"

I think it is safe to say that India's democracy is one of the prime examples people should think of when they want to understand a government of the people. I don't, however, have too much faith in the integrity of some of the judges in India. This past week I have written two posts on the situation between Shilpa Shetty, Richard Gere and thousands of angry Indians. The news has circulated the major news circuits now so I don't think I need to get into details but the long and short of it is that Gere and Shetty have managed to raise a mighty furor in India for having done nothing more than kissed on stage. It's probably more accurate to say that Gere kissed Shetty on stage and this has sent shockwaves through the conservative corridors of India. Protests were raised, complaints were made, court cases were filed. I wrote about how the situation seemed to be ridiculous to me because as I watch Hindi movies (produced in India) I see women dancing suggestively, I see gratuitous violence, short of nudity, there is very little that you can't find in Hindi movies these days. Yet a kiss has managed to raise the ire in conservative circles.

I had previously stated my confusion as to why that should be the case and I got some comments back on my previous post to the effect that Gere was 'forcing himself' onto Shetty in a way that was just short of rape. There were comments that Gere was behaving like a colonial and 'taking advantage' of Shetty the way the British did during the height of the British Raj. All of these would be compelling cases if it wasn't for the fact that Shetty herself has said that the kisses didn't bother her and that she didn't find it inappropriate. Shetty has raised issue with the fact that people are protesting and burning effigies and now taking her to court. What we are seeing is a very hypocritical part of India. By no means does this represent the majority of Indian soceity or the Indian population as a whole. But because of the actions of a few, the entire nation is going to be viewed with some trepidation in the future.

A private citizen brought a case against Gere and Shetty stating that they broke the law by engaging in lewd and scandalous action. Despite a backlog of cases, a judge presiding over the case issued arrest warrants for both Gere and Shetty and now it's possible that Gere will either spend three months in prison, pay a fairly decent sized fine or both. In the grand scheme of things happening in the world, this is a very minor thing. Gere is an activist and an actor but his arrest probably won't make much difference to those other than his family and friends but it sets a dangerous precedent for the nation and shows that there are very hypocritical parts of the society that are being used to represent the voice of the nation.

What do I mean? Well let's look at an example. A few years back, the son of a prominent minister went into a bar and attempted to hit on Jessica Lal, a young model. When she rebuffed his advances, he grew angry and witnesses initially said that he pulled a gun and shot the young woman in cold blood. Due to his standing in public, his family connections and a bit of strong-arming, this known killer was allowed to go free after a minimum amount of time in prison. It took 12 years for her case to finally see justice. When you have cases like this, and this is by no means the only one, you begin to wonder why there is such a big deal surrounding something as simple as a kiss. Gere has not killed anyone, he hasn't done anything other than show affection in public which he should not have done. If this one mistake is enough to warrant such backlash since it is a slight against the morals of the country then why back down when the morals or standards of society are shown in a not so positive light.

When Deepa Mehta attempted to make her film "Water" in India she was faced with protests and complaints. Why? After all, this film went on to receive a nomination for best Foreign Film at this year's Oscars. Well, the protests were due to the fact that the film chose to focus on the treatment of widows in India during the 1930's. It was a sad fact that widows were often sent to ashrams and put into isolation from their families and society due to their having lost their husbands. The movie was not a statement against the practice or shown to be a reflection of all of society but because this was an episode in India's culture that best be stifled, protestors threatened to burn down the sets and stop filming if it occured in India. The movie finally was made outside of India in Sri Lanka and went on to get rave reviews. It was shown all over the world and there were no protests against India because people who saw it knew that this wasn't a reflection of the India of today or at least the mainstream India.

The movie was not shown in India and many continued to protest against it. It wasn't until the Oscar nominations were announced and "Water" was selected as Canada's entrant for Foreign Film, that the film suddenly came into prominence in India. All of a sudden people were shouting the praises of Deepa Mehta when just months before they were ready to kill her. They were proud that their Indian director had won such accolades for the film and it was decided that the movie would see a limited release. So this leads me to believe that perhaps the moral rules of the country can be bent to the convenience of those who would be affected by them. It's the height of hypocrisy and should be shunned rather than fostered.

One thing is certain, Gere will likely not return to India again for quite some time. At least not until the arrest warrant is canceled. The sad thing is that the reason he was in India in the first place was to speak at a rally meant to raise awareness of AIDS and help spread the message of prevention. His actions were certainly not acceptable in a society where public displays of affection are frowned upon but to elevate it to the level of a national crisis of morality is too much. I think foreigners have come to India have always appreciated the culture and the values but when you start showing a double standard then that's where you should draw the line. If you want to protest then protest everywhere and every instance where such violations occur. Go to the beaches of Goa and issue arrest warrants for the people smoking drugs or doing nude sunbathing. Go to various temples of India and destroy any images of nude Gods and Goddesses. Go protest every single movie coming out of Bollywood because they all affect the morals of the country then. I rather expect to get some comments back on this blog and I welcome the logical ones. I am proud of my Indian culture and I have defended the homeland of my parents from ignorant statements and misconceptions for a good part of my life. But when I see incidents like the furor surrounding Gere, I feel ashamed to have to try and defend it.