As the urgent need for new talent in Bollywood grows, so does the roll call of new talent. Here's a look at the most promising new faces of the post-monsoon months:

Nisha Kothari: Ram Gopal Varma's new pouty wanna-preen, already seen in a cameo as an actress hounded by K.K. Menon, Nisha Kothari makes her full-fledged debut opposite the much talked-about Ahlawat in "James". "She's dynamite," promises Ramu who earlier gave us the new power-packed Urmila Matondkar in "Rangeela".

Tanushri Dutta: After the grand-slam impact of Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra, beauty queens are no longer considered vacuous flavours of the ramp. Tanushri could be the next successful beauty queen in films. Her debut in "Aashiq Banaya Aapne" has been tame, but she has chosen an ensemble cast in Vivek Agnihotri's "Chocolate" (opening next week) for her post-debut film. Safety in numbers.

Sonya Jehan: The legendary singer-actress Noor Jehan's daughter plays Mumtaz Mahal (a role immortalised by Bina Rai in the 1960s film) in Akbar Khan's costume drama "Taj Mahal". Debutantes in costume drama are a dicey proposition. It remains to be seen how Sonya shines.

Mohit Ahlawat: Touted by star maker Ram Gopal Varma as a complete star on the lines of Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, Mohit in "James" (opening Sep 16) is already the most talked about debutant in recent times. This confident Rohtak-born aspirant has already moved on to the next level. He's playing Amitabh Bachchan's role in Ram Gopal Varma's remake of "Sholay".

Sammir Dattani: A disastrous debut in a by now forgotten Rajshri film didn't diminish this charismatic 23-year old's chances. His performance in Hriday Shetty's "Pyar Mein Twist" (which opened Sep 2), where he's being paired with Soha Ali Khan, is being hailed as Sammir's actual launch pad. He could possibly be the next favourite chocolate-box hero after Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor.

Karan Sharma: Son of actor-producer Romesh Sharma, Karan makes his debut with two leading ladies (one of them an Anglo-Saxon foreigner) in his dad's "Dil Jo Bhi Kahey" (opening Sep 23). The mighty Amitabh Bachchan has been roped in to play sunny-boy's papa.