MUMBAI: In a first large-scale attempt to professionalise recruitment in films, an online placement agency for strugglers titled Talentube.com will launch on 30 April.

Supported by filmmakers like Mahesh Manjrekar, Sudhir Mishra and Sangeeth Sivan, the agency will build a database both of aspiring actors, singers, dancers as well as of positions available.

Unlike the sector‘s existing agencies where there are several recruiting agencies which don’t follow ground rules, talenttube.com will operate in a transparent manner, according to its founders. Applicants can register for a small fee, of not more than Rs 1,000 and then send in their work, which a panel of experts will screen before finally setting up interviews.

"We found that the casting couch is very much a reality - for both women and men. With our portal, job seekers do not have to meet anyone until the final stages, thereby minimising the chances of exploitation," Vinod Nair, one of the three founders, said.

The founders that include Nair, Ravi Nagpurkar and Rakesh Sreekumar have already identified 25,000 people whom directors and other talent seekers feel can be selected among the aspirants.

The online agency will start operating from 30 April.