RICHARD GERE - GERE: 'INDIAN KISS WAS AN ACT OF COURAGE'

Actor RICHARD GERE is proud of the obscenity charges he faced in India after publicly kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty - claiming he wears his legal woes like a "badge of courage".
The Pretty Woman star fell foul of Indian officials after he locked lips with Shetty and fixed her in a passionate embrace at an AIDS benefit in the country's capital, New Delhi, last year (07).
However, India's Supreme Court decided to drop all charges against Gere last month (Mar08), telling the star he is more than welcome to travel to the country again.
Gere isn't angry at the country's strict public affection clauses, admitting he went a step too far - branding his amorous actions "insane", but brave nonetheless.
He says, "It's a badge of somewhat insane courage. It is a very complex society."