In the last seven days, Kapoor has sent out 3000 odd mails asking people for funds to complete his debut film Raghu. Financed partly by the National Film Development Corporation and partly by his savings, Kapoor still was Rs 12 lakh short of his budget. That's when he sent out his email appeal. Surprisingly, he already has a few thousand read receipts.

"Being a well-known and familiar face helps. A lot of people bothered to read the entire email and even open the attached synopsis of my film," claims Kapoor.

Kapoor, well known for his roles in this year's blockbuster films Dil Chahta Hai and Monsoon Wedding says he resorted to an email appeal when all else failed.

Tired of scrounging around for funds for two years for a film that he has scripted and wanted to make, this Net savvy actor sat down and wrote an email straight from the heart. He confesses, "I didn't plan this email or hire a public relation assistant to help me out. I just sat it and wrote it as a one shot email because I had run out of options."

The Net was a convenient medium. Explains Kapoor, "I made a list of a hundred friends who would give me the money if I asked. But this (sending an email) seemed like a better idea. It was less embarrassing to ask people for Rs 10,000. Also, those who didn't want to give money were not caught in a fix about how to turn me down. Overall, the Net provided a better experience!"

Kapoor is asking for contributions of anything over Rs 10,000. If you do contribute, his email assures that you will have a pro-rata share in the profit of the film.

Kapoor collected email addresses from his own contacts, and then asked friends to share their contacts with him. Emails forwarded through friends also helped spread the appeal. Now, he's emailing anybody and everybody.

"It's not a targeted email exercise. I've sent it to people I know and people I don't know!" confesses Kapoor, who did receive a few angry messages. "I did have a few people berating me for spamming, but that was only a handful. Some called me a fart. Some curtly asked how I had got their email ID."

The response has been encouraging. "A lot of people have written long emails, some have offered suggestions about other sources I could get money through. Others said they were broke at the moment, but they wished me very well for my project."

Fellow filmmaker, Ram Madhavni, who immediately signed a cheque of Rs 10,000 when he got the email, says he would have helped him irrespective of whether it was a phone call, an email or a handwritten letter. "The Net does not make you faceless. It's just another medium. Besides, he is a well-known personality who has proved his craft in acting and a filmmaker in need. I wish I could have given more."

Kapoor has already received about 30 detailed emails in the last week and two more cheques of Rs 20,000 are in the mail. The most touching moment for Kapoor was when Priyanka, a student who takes tuitions for school kids, met him and offered her savings, "She told me that she really wanted to help me make the movie."

Kapoor realises he has a huge responsibility towards people who have helped him, especially "when people who don't know me still feel that they can trust me".

There has been help from overseas as well. Kapoor got an offer from someone in France willing to buy five shares (each share is worth Rs 10,000) and he is currently working out the details of how to transfer that money. "What I am hoping for is more contributions from the US (where Rs 10,000 converts to $230). It's peanuts there. I am sending out a lot of emails to people there as well."

Kapoor believes he got a good response because he established his credibility in the email by mentioning his phone number and address. "I even encouraged them to ask questions about the budgets or information that would convince them to help me out."

The email informs that the shoot will be over by mid-February 2003, the film will be ready for release by May/June and the money will be returned before 2003 ends.

For now, Kapoor goes home every day to reply to all the strangers who are emailing him. "I spend an hour everyday replying to the emails I receive, no matter what they have to say. It is my responsibility to do so."

His email goes on to say: "I know this must be one of the most unusual mails to hit your inbox, but I hope that mad initiatives like this will work, when the conventional methods don't."

The actor is now optimistic that he can raise the full sum of Rs 12 lakh through this unusual appeal.

(For more details on the project, you can email Rajat Kapoor at rajatkapoor@hathway.com)

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