Shilpa went on to defend the actor, saying "so much has been blown out of proportion", and Richard apologised for causing offence.


Shilpa held over Gere kiss - Sept 27 2007
Celebrity Big Brother star Shilpa Shetty is still feeling the effects of a kiss from Hollywood star Richard Gere five months ago.

The actress was held today (Thursday) by immigration officials at Mumbai airport who said she was still wanted for obscenity charges brought in the wake of the public kiss.

Shilpa was in tears after being stopped while on her way to Berlin where the musical Miss Bollywood opens this weekend, said her spokesman Dale Bhagwagar.

Richard publicly kissed the Bollywood beauty in April at an Aids awareness event in India, sparking an outcry among conservative hard-line Hindus, who claimed they had violated the country’s strict anti-obscenity laws.

A regional court issued arrest warrants against Richard and barred Shilpa from leaving the country. The order was overturned by the Supreme Court.

But the Supreme Court ruling didn’t show up in the immigration department computer system, Mr Bhagwagar said.

"She called me in the middle of the night and was in tears," he said, adding Shilpa was finally permitted to join her dance troupe after prolonged questioning.

"I can understand something like this if I’d committed a criminal offence. But what was my offense, when I’m just an actor, going to perform a musical on foreign land," she said.

Shortly after the row erupted, Richard, 57, apologised for any offense but also said the whole controversy was manufactured by a small hard-line political party.


Shilpa’s Injunction Bid Over ’Agent’ - Aug 17 2007
Shilpa Shetty has filed a case in an Indian court to protect herself from alleged misrepresentation by Briton Jasveer Barton claiming to be her agent, the star’s publicist has said.

The petition in a Mumbai court asks for an injunction against alleged commitments made and deals signed by Barton in Shilpa’s name while the actress was participating in the British reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother, said Dale Bhagwagar in a statement.

"We have put up a case at the City Civil Court, Mumbai, asking for an injunction," he said. "By going to court, Shilpa is just protecting herself."

Shilpa made a name for herself in India as a model, before heading to Bollywood where she’s had starring roles in films such as Baazigar and Dhadkan. She rose to fame in the UK after her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.

Shilpa slams ’wild accusations’ - July 25 2007
Shilpa Shetty has hit out at "wild accusations" that she helped ruin another woman’s marriage.

The Celebrity Big Brother winner has been romantically linked with British-based Indian businessman Raj Kundra, 31.

But his estranged wife Kavita, 25, the mother of his 10-month-old daughter, claimed her husband’s obsession with the Bollywood star ruined her marriage.

A spokeswoman for the 32-year-old actress said she and Kundra were just friends.

The star has now released a statement criticising the "baseless allegations against me of ruining her [Kavita Kundra’s] marriage".

She said: "My understanding is that Raj and Kavita’s marriage was over a year ago and they have filed for divorce and have been living separately for over a year.

"I met Raj Kundra three months ago in a business capacity, so where the question of me breaking up her marriage arises, this is impossible as I have known him for 12 weeks.

"I am disgusted by her reported comments and completely refute the allegation."