What's so bad about the kiss, asks Shilpa

Clearly exasperated over the seemingly unending controversy over the incident involving her and Hollywood actor Richard Gere, wherein an "innocuous peck on the cheek" caused a huge uproar in several part of india, Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty has blamed the media for the same. "It is all of you from the media who put me in the headlines and are unnecessarily giving me undue importance," Shetty said, in aninterview to CNN-IBN yesterday, replying to a question on her namecreating headlines in recent months.

Stating that the media made a big deal about the incident, Shilpa said, ''One goes for a praiseworthy event in support of HIV/AIDS and instead of focusing on the severity and importance of the cause, the media pays more heed to matters that are completely irrelevant and inconsequential. If I don't blame the media, then what should I do?

Shilpa has in recent months higged headlines in the national andinternational media first for the racial comments made against heron the Big Brother reality show and, more recently, over the kissing episode with Hollywood superstar Richard Gere at an AIDS awareness event in New Delhi last month.