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Coke-MTV on `Star Hunt'

Ratna Bhushan

NEW DELHI, May 6

ASPIRING Bollywood film stars have a new window of opportunity waiting to be grabbed. Soft drinks major Coca-Cola India and music channel MTV have embarked on a `Star Hunt' contest, the winners of which will get to star in a Bollywood flick.

A Coca-Cola official told Business Line that the company was currently in `active discussions' with some big Bollywood production houses, one of which is Tips, to produce the movie.

Prominent choreographers and grooming specialists, such as Ken Ghosh and Shaimak Davar, are being approached to prepare the 11 shortlisted contestants to perform on the silver screen.

While declining to reveal details of the film at this stage, the Coke official said that the venture would be a candy floss romance, to appeal to its core target audience -- the youth. If everything goes according to plan, the film will be released in th e month of December.

What is interesting is that the contest is open for everyone -- from 6 to 60. In other words, there is no age bar for the participants. And the winners of the contest, 11 in all, do not have to pay at any stage to feature in the movie.

The one-month-long contest will involve auditions, screen tests and stage tests, to be kicked off by the end of this month. Live auditions -- in the form of roadshows, rockshows and market visits -- will be organised in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. ``It will be like any other college fest, and MTV veejays will be the hosts,'' a Coke official said. Wannabe participants in other cities have the option of sending their profiles by mail, and they have an `equal chance of being selected', promise Coke offici als.

While the winners of this contest will be announced in the second week of July, the Coke official added that the contest will henceforth be a `regular activity'.