David Gere at CIMA Gallery on Tuesday. Picture by Amit Datta

Whenever David Gere is asked “how it feels” to be a Hollywood heartthrob’s brother — and that is often — his answer is: “It feels good”.

“Every time I am asked this question it gives me an opportunity, like now, to say how much I love him,” actor Richard Gere’s sibling, a professor at the University of California in Los Angeles, told Metro on Tuesday.

David, who is in town to promote his project Make Art/Stop AIDS, spoke about his and Richard’s common interest in AIDS prevention during an interactive session with visitors at CIMA Gallery. “We are two brothers who love each other very much and have a common interest,” he said.

But while he is appreciative of his brother’s way of promoting the cause, his methods are a little different. The Make Art/Stop AIDS programme is an example.

“This project was born in Calcutta. I was in Bangalore on a Fulbright fellowship in 2004 and had come down to the city,” David, a former art critic, recalled.

Pointing to a canvas in the potua tradition, painted by patachitra artist Swarna Chitrakar, David said: “She is one of those associated with our project, though this canvas is on something different.”

David also spoke about two young New Delhi-based artists who work as a duo, Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra. “They designed these rubber slippers, on the soles of which were cartoons on how to take out a condom from a packet. They are working on a project called Put it On, the condom that is,” David said, with a twinkle in his eyes that reminded the audience of his more famous brother.

David said he was all for sensationalism if it helped send the message across. “One of Jiten and Sumir’s canvases has these flowers that remind me of Bollywood kissing scenes. Each flower is a demonstration of how to put on a condom.”

So, what does he make of the peck his brother gave Shilpa Shetty? Did controversy help spread the message?

“As long as you find something positive in that, it will make him happy and it will make me happy,” he said.