The 31-year-old Bollywood star was in London for the premiere of her latest film, Life in a Metro, which is one of the first Indian-made films to be premiered in the capital.
Arriving with her sister and dressed in a stunning pink sari, the Indian actress toured the red carpet and posed for photographs, including some with former BIG BROTHER housemate Danielle.
The former Miss Great Britain model was one of three housemates, along with JO O'MEARA and JADE GOODY, who racially bullied the Indian movie star in the house.
But while the pair seem to have kissed and made up, Danielle's life is going from bad to worse. After being dumped by her footballer boyfriend TEDDY SHERINGHAM following the incidents in the house, Danielle started dating fellow footballer MARCUS BENT.
However, Bent has also recently dumped the 23-year-old and Danielle was seen leaving a club at with a gash on her leg, following a fight with another girl over two other footballers.
Judge Dinesh Gupta issued the warrants in the northwestern city of Jaipur after a local citizen filed a complaint charging that the public display of affection offended local sensibilities, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Gupta earlier viewed television footage of the event, which he called “highly sexually erotic,” saying the pair violated India’s strict public obscenity laws.
Gere and Shetty “transgressed all limits of vulgarity and have the tendency to corrupt the society,” PTI quoted the judge as saying.
Such cases against celebrities often filed by publicity seekers are common in conservative India. They add to a backlog of legal cases that has nearly crippled the country’s judicial system.
Gere left India shortly after the kissing incident and it was not immediately clear how the warrant would affect him.
Gere is a frequent visitor to India, promoting health issues and the cause of Tibetan exiles. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has his headquarters in the north Indian town of Dharmsala.
Under Indian law a person convicted of public obscenity faces up to three months in prison, a fine, or both.
Last week, crowds in several Indian cities burned effigies of the 57-year-old star of “An Officer and a Gentleman,” “American Gigolo” and “Pretty Woman” after he embraced Shetty and kissed her several times on her cheeks during an HIV/AIDS awareness event in the Indian capital.
Photographs of the clinch were then splashed across front pages in India where public displays of affection are largely taboo.
The judge lambasted Shetty for not resisting Gere’s kisses and ordered her to appear in his court May 5, PTI said. A spokesman for Shetty declined comment.
The event’s organizer, Parmeshwar Godrej, called the controversy a distraction from more important issues.
“It has detracted from and undermined the value and success of the event, which was concerned with creating AIDS awareness and promoting AIDS prevention among truck drivers,” CNN-IBN quoted her as saying.
Shetty, 31, has said the embrace was not obscene and that the media should instead focus on HIV/AIDS awareness.
“I understand this is his culture, not ours. But this was not such a big thing or so obscene for people to overreact in such manner,” she told PTI last week.
“I understand people’s sentiments, but I don’t want a foreigner to take bad memories from here,” PTI quoted her as saying.
Shetty, already well-known in India, became an international star after her appearance on the British reality show “Celebrity Big Brother” another controversial public appearance. A fellow contestant, Jade Goody, sparked international headlines by making allegedly racist comments to Shetty. Mobs took to the streets of India to denounce Goody, and Shetty went on to win the competition.
Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty is to be the new face of Marks & Spencer.
The Bollywood beauty, who was the victim of alleged racial abuse during the Channel Four show in January, attended a shoot for the high street giant's Autumn/Winter 2007 collection on Tuesday in west London.
Shilpa was spotted going to the studio on Kensal Road with television presenter Gaby Roslin, who will also be launching the new range later this year. The pair met up with three other models.
A source said: "Shilpa spent the day at a shoot, she spent the morning having lots of clothes fitted on her so that they look amazing for the advertising campaigns.
"She is perfect for the role. She is gorgeous and has a great personality but, above all, the British public love her."
The contract is thought to be worth in the region of £150,000 in the first instance but if she increases sales significantly she maybe re-signed for the next campaign.
"Shilpa is delighted, she went into the Big Brother house to get herself some exposure in Britain, so she couldn't have asked for things to have turned out better for her," our source said.
"She is still talking to a number of film producers about acting roles, but to be the face of such a popular store is an amazing gig for her."
M&S, which has an outlet on practically every high street in Britain, two years ago signed up Sixties model Twiggy to front their campaign.
Bosses have since watched their sales go up and up, and they are thought to want to keep her but bring in Shilpa alongside to appeal to the younger market.
Erin O'Connor, Laura Bailey and Lizzie Jagger also took part in the most recent advertising drive.
Shilpa, 31, arrived in the UK in January to take part in reality TV series Celebrity Big Brother along with a number of low-rent celebrities.
However, things didn't go quite to plan. She found herself at the centre of a bullying campaign, with Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and singer Jo O'Meara all ganging up on her.
But - as the careers of Jade, Dani and Jo are going down the pan - it looks like Shilpa's the one laughing now.
Not only Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty has been offered the lead role in a West End musical but most importantly has also been invited as the guest of honour at the Princess Diana memorial concert this summer.
Prince William and Harry were so impressed with the way Shilpa handled herself on the scandal-packed reality TV show Big Brother that they invited her to the July 1 concert. In addition, she is also being lined up to become the first ever face on the new Indian version of fashion magazine Vogue.
Though, Shilpa has not yet decided regarding West End musical, producers of the show are in touch with Shilpa’s representatives over a deal for her to play the murderous Roxie Hart, played in recent years by famous Hollywood stars such as Ashlee Simpson, Denise van Outen and Claire Sweeney.
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty has won the UK reality TV show Big Brother with an overwhelming 67 per cent majority.
Shilpa walked out of the Big Brother's house amid fireworks and cheering crowds. She thanked them and said "Thank you, I love you. Chicken Curry rules."
She chose a red tunic with jeans this time around as against her pink Tarun Tahiliani sari, the day she entered the house.
Not only has the actress won the prize money of 100,000 Pounds, the show has also given her international recognition and offers of all sorts have started pouring in from abroad.
She described her experience in the show as 'incredible and overwhelming.'
She also said she was proud of being an Indian and thanked all her fans who supported her through the show.
Racial slurs
Shilpa tried to play down allegations that she had been made a victim of racial abuse on the show.
In a press conference held later, she said she had made up with her chief tormentor Jade Goody and the past was now behind her.
"I really didn't know how things were perceived by people outside the Big Brother House. I saw the footage of the first time and it looked pretty ghastly. I am someone who likes to look forward in life and I want to put it behind me," the actress said.
"It may have seemed like it was bad, but I can say that Jade is not a bad person, and she didn't really contrive to be like that. So there is nothing in my heart. The day we hugged, it was all gone and forgotten really," she added.
The show's popularity suddenly jumped world wide last week.
Tens of thousands of viewers complained that Shilpa Shetty was subjected to racial bullying. In its wake, the show's viewership shot up by over five million.
The comments ranged from calling her a "Paki" to digs at her cooking.
Two days into the controversy, Shetty, although isolated from the outside world, said it was racism, only to backtrack later.
"It's truly been quite a roller coaster ride. It has taught me so much. I just want to forget things," she said.
The British and Indian governments however, felt obliged to reiterate their stand against racism in any form.
The Indian tourist government went ahead and publicaly invited Shetty's tormentor, Jade Goody, who suddenly became a celebrity of sorts, to India.
Popular vote
The winner of the reality show is the person who survives and is not voted out by viewers.
"I found it a lot easy to make friends while participating in the Big Brother Show," said Shilpa Shetty.
Earlier, an overwhelming majority of the viewers voted Shilpa's nemesis Jade Goody out rather than Shetty. But Goody emerged from the studio to see herself a celebrity of sorts and demonised by some.
"I am scared about going to the end of the show. I am in two minds because of the stuff that has happened to my house. I am justified in being really scared and nervous but I guess I will go to accept all the boos that I have not got before," Jade Goody, Contestant, Celebrity Big Brother.
Shilpa Shetty's mother Sunanda, sensing the star's ascending popularity, has hired UK's biggest publicist to cash in.
Shetty, who wasn't really top of the charts in Bollywood, is now globally sought after --- interviews, a cricket reality show, advertisements and who knows, even a Hollywood deal.
