Richard Gere
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
What was the Accusation?
Hollwood actor Richard Gere (Officer and a Gentlemen, Pretty Woman) faced heavy criticism from the Indian government and the Indian people after affectionately embracing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on stage at an HIV/AIDS awareness event. Gere, in an apparent attempt to parody a scene from his film Shall We Dance, grabbed Shetty around the waste, dipped her toward the floor of the stage and kissed her on the face and neck. Indian newspapers carried images of Gere hugging and kissing Shetty on the cheek at an AIDS awareness event, while TV reports repeatedly aired footage of the embrace. Crowds in several cities subsequently burned effigies of Gere and Shetty in protest and criticized the two for public obscenity. An Indian court judge issued a warrant for Gere’s arrest, arguing that the kiss was highly sexually erotic and “transgressed all limits of vulgarity.” Gere, in response, would release a formal statement of apology in which he claimed it was never his intention to offend. However, some of his other statements expressed hostility toward the media for turning the mistake into a “circus.”
Apologia Strategies:
Good Intentions, Mortification, Attacking the Accuser
Video
Transcript
Formal Statement to the Press:
What is most important to me is that my intentions as an HIV/AIDS advocate be made clear, and that my friends in India understand that it has never been, nor could it ever be, my intention to offend you. If that has happened, of course it is easy for me to offer a sincere apology.”
On The Daily Show:
There is a very small, right-wing, very conservative political party in India, and they are the moral police in India and they do this kind of thing quite often. I don’t know that anyone has actually gone to jail, it has to go through a process. It goes to a reputable court, and they throw it out,”
Letter to the Indian People:
“…to be honest, this recent media storm has taken me by surprise.”
“What we thought was a very successful HIV/AIDS event has taken a sad turn. The evening and event in question was intended to celebrate courageous people and partnerships in the supremely important fight against HIV/AIDS, a worldwide pandemic which has afflicted over 5 million Indians and is still increasing.”