The recent sting operations on the entertainment industry have created a snowball effect of sorts.

The fact that a journalist, posing as an aspiring actress, managed to create extremely embarrassing situations for actors like Shakti Kapoor and Aman Verma has the industry up in arms against this kind of journalism.

Will this have a bearing on the future of all newcomers? Will it discourage filmmakers from meeting new people, thereby creating an even more cloistered atmosphere within the industry?

We spoke to Bollywood's most prominent star-discoverer, Ram Gopal Varma, who has reinvented the careers of Urmila Matondkar, Manoj Bajpai, Fardeen Khan, Aftab Shivdasani and Vivek Oberoi. As usual, Varma had his own take on the subject.

"The so-called sting operations don't make sense to me. As for its repercussions, I don't think producers will stop meeting aspirants just because someone laid a trap for a few unsuspecting victims.

The film industry constantly needs new talent to keep it going. As long as I need new, exciting faces for my films, I'll continue to cast them," says the filmmaker.

Rumours abound that he has installed cameras in his office to make sure newcomers don't make nasty accusations against him.

"That's completely false. There are no cameras in my office.

Besides, I have full confidence in my own conduct. I don't need to pre-empt some desperate newcomer's behaviour by acting paranoid. Scandals and accusations are a part and parcel of the entertainment industry. It's how you conduct yourself that matters," says Verma firmly.

But isn't it a fact that Varma has stopped seeing aspirants? Ramu demurs, "I'm still as open to new talent as I used to be. I had to put an end to newcomers crowding outside my office for security reasons. I don't know why aspirants believe all they need is a film with me to become a star.

I've only cast those newcomers whom I've found suitable for my films. I'm too selfish to give anyone a chance out of sympathy or for the future of Indian cinema."