Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgan and film-maker Shekhar Kapur are well-known personalities from the world of Hindi cinema who have chosen to diversify, either into making money through the Net, or promoting new talent, or both.

Two months ago, Shekhar Kapur joined the money-spinning bandwagon by announcing the launch of a consultancy named Digital Talkies for those who want to enter the business of film-making. Ms Pia Singh, former vice-president (finance) of DLF Universal, is the CEO of the company.

Industrialist Hari Shankar Bhartia of the Vam Bhartia group of companies, and Mr Suhel Seth, CEO, Equus Advertising, are partners in Mr Kapur's venture.

Digital Talkies proposes to offer advice on how to make a digital film, how to arrange the finance, and find a crew to suit one's needs and budget. "In short," says Mr Kapur, "it will work as a one-point destination for those who don't want to run after financiers and distributors to show their films, thereby cutting down the large power structure of the film industry. And eliminating the middlemen."

Ms Pia Singh explains Digital Talkies as an end-to-end entertainment company, "which will produce content by embracing new forms of technology in film-making and distribute it". Users of its service can opt to make documentaries or feature films, whose duration could be anything from 10 minutes to two hours. The channels of distribution to be tapped include television, airlines, home video, theatres and online companies.

Mr Shekhar Kapur wants to help "potential film-makers to independently access the market". Offering a rather simplistic explanation, he says, "Now all a film-maker needs to make a film is a story, and a digital camera to shoot the film. He can edit it on his personal computer and bring it to us for distribution."

However, it will not be as simple as it sounds for after all, Mr Bhartia did mention making an investment of Rs 10 crore in the next 18 months.

Mediocrity would be bad for business and reputation. Digital Talkies will be part owner of the content that comes to it for distribution. Yet, the professed aim of the company remains helping newcomers find their feet rather than doing business.

A similar project has been launched by Devgan Entertainment and Software Ltd (DESL). The plan will be put into action early next year. Veeru and Ajay Devgan have set up a website named Cinexplore.com, which will be the medium for aspiring talent to avail of the company's services.

Cinexplore's partners in the venture are BconnectB.com Worldwide Ltd and Liquid Equity Capital (LEC). Again, the company hopes to serve as the one-stop destination for media businesses and professionals, and will provide databases, functionality and all the resources its target audience will require. The idea is to let creative professionals concentrate on what they do best: prepare content.

BconnectB.com is a subsidiary of Aptech Ltd, and introduces itself as an Application Service Provider with a "suite of solutions" that enables organisations to interact with their partners and conduct business online.

LEC, the other partner, helps new Indian companies frame their business plan and raise funds either through venture capital in India and abroad, or "high net worth" individuals.

With all this, Cinexplore aims to make the best films available to viewers, develop quality software for television, and help new entrants get the infrastructure and monetary help they naturally find hard to come by.

Evidently, emerging talent never had it so good in Bollywood before. Cinexplore will cater to the demand, whether in acting, music, or choreography-rather, any creative or technical aspect of film-making. The site offers the lure of being associated with prestigious names like Mr D Rama Naidu, Mr Yash Johar and Mr Karan Johar, and Devgan Entertainment, of course. Candidates selected by major production houses will be featured on Cinexplore.

An online film institute proposed by the site is its unstated USP. This venture, to be headed by director Mahesh Bhatt, will provide learners a link to studying communication. The curriculum is designed to help them "develop critical thinking, creativity and personal integrity".

But talent-spotting is one part of the demand. Firms providing goods and services for film production are being offered an easy and economical way to enter e-commerce via Cinexplore. They may set up a website or store, and Cinexplore says it will help small and mid-sized sellers bring their businesses online. Such users can build and manage their own sites, thereby being able to effect direct transactions and participate in the online `Movie Marketplace'. This Internet procurement service links buyers and suppliers through product and service directories.

The Movie Marketplace intends to provide industry professionals with a "fully integrated, web-based environment for purchasing and renting production, post-production goods and services".

Devgan Entertainment says the BconnectB platform is a key component of their Marketplace. After all, it claims to have a robust system that is capable of organising information and providing the requisite value-added business services.

But while talent may be solicited and found by other means, and equipment rented out, finance for a film does not fall into the easy-to-get category. This aspect puts even established film-makers into a quandary, let alone upcoming directors.

Trust business not to ignore this aspect. So Cinexplore has incorporated a list of financiers. The site enumerates their past projects and talks of their financial strength. This segment is also targeted at financiers who want to place their bets after interacting with producers about their project. A similar list of film and television producers and directors, and studios, has been posted on the site.

An extremely ambitious project, which is set to give even the most professional of teams a hard time. Given the craze for cinema in India, of course, it could turn out to be a good business proposition if handled well.