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Like Onir,several other filmmakers too have logged on to social networking sites,in order to tap talent. Mahesh Bhatt,who is busy scripting Jism 2,recently announced on Twitter that he was looking for two boys and a girl to play important parts in his upcoming film. “Whoever is interested can get in touch with me on Twitter. And we will take it forward from there,” tweeted Bhatt. Incidentally,Ashutosh Gowariker,known for working only with the top stars,is also now scouting for talent on the internet for his upcoming venture. Gowariker is asking people to audition for Legend of Buddha,on http://www.buddhafilm.com,a site he’s created especially to interact with aspiring actors.

Although a large chunk of filmmakers are today seen spending time interacting with audiences on networking sites,producer-director Apoorva Lakhia was one of the first to tap “acting talent” in the form of Amruta Patki through Facebook. “Apoorva first saw my photographs on Facebook after which he contacted me for an audition,” says Patki,who was recently seen in his slasher film Hide And Seek. “You obviously need talent to ride you through. But when you are looking for a break,these sites give you that initial push,” she says.

While Onir found Dev R Nil,the stylist for I AM Afia through Facebook,one of his music composers,Rajiiv Bhallla for I AM Abhimanyu,was shortlisted through the same site. Bhalla reminisces,“I used to work on a lot of jingles. I wanted to get into feature films and hence wrote to Onir on Facebook. Fortunately,he responded. After a series of meetings,I was composing for his film.” Bhalla has composed a unique Kannada-Punjabi track and a song called Pojhal Se for the film. Similarly,Onir also got in touch with local people from areas where they were shooting and appointed them as assistant directors for each of his short films. “It was mutually beneficial,” says Onir.

It isn’t just about finding talent through these sites. With the youth increasingly logging on to social networking sites as opposed to switching on television sets,it has also become easier for filmmakers to interact with them. Getting the audiences involved with the title and first look of your film is something young directors and producers like Punit Malhotra,Siddharth Malhotra and Rhea Kapoor have been doing. While Siddharth had a poll going on to select the title for his film,Kapoor revealed the first look of Aisha on Twitter. “They are people we don’t know personally. So the responses may not be favourable at all times,” says Siddharth,who recently put up the first poster of his debut venture We are Family on Twitter,followed by newspaper dailies. “After all it is the masses that decide the fate of the film. Their opinion is like a guiding light to us,” he says.