Many of the recruits would have just arrived from the international airport, or a bus stand looking confused and dazed from a sleepless night in the bus. They come from various parts of the country and the world. 

As the pavement agent bundles the tourists into a taxi, the aspiring actors chatter excitedly about their big break. However, their dreams of the movie-style lifestyle are quickly shattered when they arrive at Churchgate Station and are promptly herded onto a rush hour suburban train for Rs 8.

From there, they are taken to one of the film studios in the Western suburbs. But the recent years have seen many foreigners making an entry in Bollywood — Rachel Shelly in Lagaan, Antonia Bernath in Kisna and Alice Patten in Rang De Basanti, with the latest entrant being Barbara Mori in Kites.