An Indian man here has been fined and slapped a suspended jail term after he appeared at a city mall wearing a woman's outfit, mascara and a wig, apparently rehearsing for a role in an upcoming Bollywood film.
However, his 'Chachi 420' act did not go down well with the authorities, who charged him with cross-dressing.
The Dubai Court of Misdemeanours handed out the 45-year-old unnamed Indian, an administration manager with a property developer, a six-month suspended jail term and fined him Dh10,000 (USD 2,722).
The judge suspended his imprisonment for three years because it was his first offence and it was believed that he would not repeat the crime.
"I'm not guilty... I was cross-dressed because I was training to perform a woman's role in Indian cinema. I didn't intend to go to the mall but I went there because I received an urgent phone call," the unnamed Indian was quoted as saying by the Gulf News to the public prosecutor.
A defence witness told the court that the man, who also works in the movie industry, was training for a minor role in
a film which required him to wear a woman's outfit.
It was not known for which role he was rehearsing though a number of Bollywood films, including Kamal Hasan's 'Chachi
420 and Govinda-starrer 'Aunty No 1' saw the hero in the attire of a woman.
Undercover policemen spotted the defendant at Mall of the Emirates. The policemen claimed that his outfit was glittering (like a woman's clothes) and he wore a bra, mascara, women's perfume and a wig.