Shilpa has actually gained a lot of mileage from the Gere pecks. The men's magazine FHM polled her at 38 in their 'Most Eligible Women in the World 2007' list.

Speaking about kissing on screen during a recent visit to Australia, she told Sydney Morning Herald, "I have never kissed on screen...I don't want to do it but it is a personal choice; it is not because of a rule or law..."

Shilpa also said the hullabaloo was from a 'lunatic minority' and it does not reflect the sentiments of most Indians.

"The reactions to the Gere kiss — including a warrant for her arrest — were those of a lunatic minority. These are not the sentiments of the majority of people and it saddens me that this is how the West will perceive India," she told the audience.

As much as Shetty promotes a modern India, she admits audiences are not ready to embrace the love scenes of Hollywood or Europe. "It is better to have a clean entertainment movie because those work better at the box office."

Talking about the British reality show which catapulted her to fame, she told The Sydney Morning Herald that "because of Big Brother, there are all these people in the West who know me, but have never seen my work."