Gere first showcased his photos 10 years back to raise funds for Tibetan refugees and was thrilled when the Dalai Lama agreed to attend the exhibition. Contactmusic.com reports that Gere was unaware that the Buddhist leader could be a ruthless critic.

Gere said: 'He calls me over by himself and we're looking at a picture and he says, 'This is really poor quality.' I was dying. I like pictures that are a little bit soft focus or blurry, if you wanna see it that way, and they're a little off... and he didn't buy this at all.

'He likes colour, mine are black and white, platinum, they are a little strange.'