SIFY.com reports:Indian model-turned-actor Samir Soni... [will play] a gay designer in director Madhur Bhandarkar's new film, Fashion. [Soni says]... "I've finally got a role that has got my creative juices running again... 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... 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 will accept my character wholeheartedly... [Soni has several close gay friends and says]... 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... 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."
