It is a bit of a common problem Humayun. Yes it is in the bracket, and no I wouldn't try to bend it as it is only cast and may snap while trying to bend it. You could try and pack the back side of the mount base (try this before trying to bend the mount) or you can do what I did and bought on of these
http://db.manfrotto.com/product/temp...=8&itemid=1950 . They are about $100 from camerahouse (I'm sure you could get them cheaper) but well worth it for how much easier it makes aligning optial/imaging elements