Shilpa's kiss was courageous says Richard Gere

Washington (ANI): Actor Richard Gere has revealed that he is not ashamed of the obscenity charges he faced in India after publicly kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, insisting that he sees the whole episode as an act of courage.

Gere, who recently faced obscenity charges for publicly kissing the Celebrity Big Brother winner at an AIDS campaign function, said he wears his legal woes like a "badge of courage". However, India's Supreme Court decided to drop all charges against Gere last month (Mar08), telling the star he is more than welcome to visit the country again.

"It's a badge of somewhat insane courage. It is a very complex society," Contactmusic quoted Gere as saying. Gere admits that he went a step too far and branded his ardent actions "insane", but brave.