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Nothing wrong in playing gay: Samir Soni Saturday, 12 January , 2008, 08:58 Last Updated: Saturday, 12 January , 2008, 09:24 Model-turned-actor Samir Soni, who started his film career as Mamta Kulkarni's leading man in *China Gate*, has been zeroed in on to play a gay designer in Madhur Bhandarkar's *Fashion*. Exclusive: The year that was on Sify Movies<http://sify.com/movies/yearender/> And the actor, for whom it has been a troubled and long journey, is pretty excited about the part. "I've finally got a role that has got my creative juices running again," Samir told IANS. Images: Worst dressed of 2007 <http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14575358> "When I heard the role I knew I immediately wanted to do it. And so what if he's gay? It's about time we as a country and in the entertainment business stopped looking at homosexuality as a peculiarity. I was a model, so I know a lot of gays. My character in *Fashion* being gay is not the issue," Samir told IANS. "Some directors make the mistake of making a character's homosexuality his identity badge. Madhur is a director who handles all his characters with finesse and sensitivity. I'm positive he'll make sure the gay community accept my character wholeheartedly," he added. Images: Worst dressed of 2007 <http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14575358> It's been a long and tiring search for Bhandarkar to find one of the principal male leads to play a gay dress designer. After Harsh Chhaya, he has zeroed on Samir Soni. Sharing his experience, Bhandarkar said: "It wasn't an aggressive in-your-face kind of homosexual character. I needed someone tall, fair, handsome, suave and outwardly a ladies' man. The hunt was killing me because I start shooting with this character in just a few days. But now I've found my actor. Bollywood's most promising newcomers <http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14563793> "Samir Soni fits the bill completely. He's sensitive and yet not delicate, soft-spoken but not effeminate. I needed that." Samir says he has several very close gay friends. "So the lack of time to prepare for the part - we start shooting next week - doesn't bother me. I know the community from up close. I've often discussed the question of sexual orientation with my gay friends, how it affects their personality and their day-to-day dealings with people. Click here for all the hottest films in 2008<http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14577373> "What fascinates me is the closeted existence of the gay who doesn't or can't come out in the open. The torment of keeping the secret is just so gut-wrenching. Yeah, I'm looking forward to playing the gay as a grey, dark character." Samir has only one other film, Sanjay Gupta's *Alibaug*, in hand. "Yes, I've done less work. And I'm not going to pretend it's because I chose to do so. I also did television for the lack of choice. But let's not undermine the reach of the home medium. The roles have been hard to come by. Maybe I wasn't pushy enough. Maybe I wasn't good enough," Samir chuckled self-dismissively. The thought of sharing screen space in *Fashion* with so many seasoned troupers doesn't intimidate this soft-spoken actor. "I had 11 actors, many of them stalwarts like Amrish Puriji, Om Puriji and Naseeruddin Shahji in my very first film. In Rajkumar Santoshiji's *Lajja*, I was paired with Madhuri Dixit. Now in *Alibaug*, I'm again in an ensemble cast. "I'm not at all scared of sharing screen space with other actors in *Fashion *. Whether I'm alone in a 30-second ad or with 12 other actors in a big film like *Fashion*, I do my best. The rest I leave to destiny." -- My blog's at: http://queerindia.blogspot.com You can leave me a voice message from any phone at http://www.jaxtr.com/nitinkarani No call charges apply.
