Scions of filmmakers are ready to strike again. Producer-director Anil Sharma has launched his brother Kapil as one of the heroes in Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyon where Bobby Deol plays a double role of father and son while Amitabh Bachchan plays the first generation of an army family.

And though the audiences' response to the newest kid from the filmmaking empire has been greeted with a wintry frostiness, Sharma has cleverly padded his sibling's launch pad with supposedly safe superstars to buffer the debut.

Bobby Deol's cousin Abhay goes it alone in Socha Na Tha next month. Produced by the Deols, the film features Abhay along with Ayesha Takia in the romantic lead. Producers Keshu Ramsay and Vashu Bhagnani are also launching their sons Aryaman and Jackie in the coming year.

In fact Harrry Baweja has shelled out a whopping Rs 2.5 crore to Kareena Kapoor to persuade her to do the unthinkable — pair herself opposite a complete newcomer. Will Baweja Jr, Harman benefit from his buffered debut?

Another film producer Romesh Sharma is also getting audiences ready to launch his son Karan Sharma in Dil Jo Bhi Kahey.

To make sure Sunny-boy‘s launch is well buffered papa producer has roped in old friend Amitabh Bachchan to play dad to Karan and also two heroines, Bhoomika Chawla and an Anglo-Saxon Annabella Wallis to romance in scenic Mauritius.

Foolproof? Or proof of how foolish fathers can be? Where does all this leave talented newcomers from outside the industry?

"In the middle of a career crisis right at the beginning?" quips Sammir Dattani who's just completed his third Kannada film Jootata a remake of Priyadarshan's hit Hindi comedy Hungama.

More talented and deserving newcomers will follow Dattani out of Mumbai to seek stardom in regional cinema if film producers with the money to make things happen for their kith and kin continue to thrust their progenies on audiences.

But as one astute filmmaker points out, "All these producers' kids have just one headstart. Then they're on their own. Look at what happened to Govinda's nephew Vinay Anand? And Yash Chopra casts his son in Dhoom not in Veer-Zaara. Finally cash is thicker than blood."