/> Queer are the ways of showbiz. After getting the female leads Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranuat, in place Madhur Bhandarkar's casting for his peek at the beau-monde in Fashion has run into a major hurdle.

The major male lead, requiring a charismatic star to play a prominent costume designer, remains un-cast despite months of efforts.

Reason? No major star in Bollywood is willing to play gay, and never mind if it's only makebelieve.

The director has approached several marquee names, all of whom have recoiled in horror and laughed off Madhur's offer.... an instant-replay situation of what transpired with Rituparno Ghosh some years ago when he had approached Akshay Kumar with a gay man's character.

Now Ritu is stuck again. For a film that he wants to make on three fringe people, including a militant and homosexual, Ritu who has approached several actors, cannot get anyone to play the latter.

Madhur is at his wit's end, "This a strange situation. None of our actors wants to do a role that would be a challenge to any actor. I don't know what to do, probably settle for a new theatre actor."

Incidentally, a young actor named Jay Karla had played a gay character in Bhandarkar's Page 3. Not much has been heard of him since then.

And many years ago Kalpana Lajmi had offered Shah Rukh Khan the role of a eunuch in Darmiyaan. Arif Zakaria who took over the part, fast- faded from the scene.

Says Ritu, "They'll play serial killers and gangsters and all kinds of characters from the minority communities. But not gay. Isn't acting all about suspending your disbelief?"