Most big banner films that begin shooting soon with multi-star casts, have no leading ladies signed on

Quite a disturbing trend, this! Big banner movies with impressive male star casts have little or no female presence.

Raj Kumar Santoshi begins shooting an action film entitled Power, which will star Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor and Emraan Hashmi. But no leading ladies have been locked in although the film is just two months away from shooting.

Says producer Firoz Nadiadwala, "We are in the process of looking for actresses. It isn't easy, since every actor is different in personality and stature. Besides, the focus in Power is on the action."

Santoshi and his producer are flying down to Mumbai the team that did the action sequences in The Bourne Identity. The five heroes (Big B included) will be expected to perform the kind of sophisticated acts the Bourne films are known for.

Obviously, romancing glamorous gals is not a priority in these capers.

No gals here as well
Abbas-Mustan's The Italian Job remake features Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin Mukesh and other male actors. The female actors are missing. Firoz Nadiadwala's third Hera Pheri film has Abhishek Bachchan, Nana Patekar and Sunil Shetty. The leading ladies are yet to be cast.