 
|
PEOPLE
 Kajol
& Ajay Devgun
Day-time dreams on Dalal
Street! And spinning them are film star Ajay Devgan and his ilk. Devgan
Entertainment and Software Ltd (DESIL, a film production and distribution
company promoted by the leading star couple, Kajol and Ajay Devgan, has
firmed up plans to mop up almost Rs 60 crore through a maiden public
offer. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) would fund the company's grand
expansion plans, which include setting up a state-of-the-art digital
studio in Mumbai as well as a full-fledged entertainment portal. The
portal will be a one-stop-information-shop as far as the entertainment
industry is concerned, as well as provide a platform for wannabe stars who
can place their portfolios on the Net. DESL has already acquired a 30 per
cent stake in Bicnet Software, a software technology company which would
provide technical support to the portal. And their competitive edge in the
IPO wave sweeping the tinsel town: the brand value of Ajay Devgan and his
actress-wife Kajol. Says Kajol, 26: ''The Net will be the biggest thing in
the future.'' Adds Ajay, 31: ''I have decided to do only 2 to 3 films per
year to devote time to this venture, and deliver value to investors.''
Bollywood could soon have a run on the bourses, it seems...
 Alfred
Berkeley
NASDAQ nosedived and the Indian markets followed. But that did not
deter the nasdaq Chief, Alfred R. Berkeley III, from visiting India to set
up an office. Says Alfred, 55: ''The US thinks highly of Indian
tech-stocks. And for both software and pharma companies, the US market can
offer the cheapest capital. We expect more stories like Infosys and Satyam...''
Famous last words, or does NASDAQ need fresh blood...
 Sharat
Anand
Another one bites...not the dust, but dot.com. Sharat Anand, Deputy
CEO and Head (Treasury) at Standard Chartered Bank, is the latest victim
of the www mania. Sharat, a career banker, is quitting to do his own
thing-a clicks-and-bricks venture for funds management in both equity and
debt. The revenue model and the management structure is in place though
the funding is yet to be finalised. Says Sharat, 40, who has already roped
in 2 of his ex-colleagues at StanChart, Sanjay Bhasin, Chief Dealer (Forex),
and Janak Desai, Head (Trading), to join his yet-untitled company. Sharat
adds: ''A revolution is taking place and I would be a fool not to take
advantage of it. Besides, how much of classical banking can you do?''
Indeed. Especially since he always claimed he would change his life at
40...
 Anand
Rathi
This president is set for yet another term. And why not? As the
helmsman at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the genial Anand Rathi has
made the prestigious bourse more investor-friendly and proactive than it
has been in a long time. An almost 110 per cent increase in the average
daily trading volume from Rs 1,280 crore to Rs 2,730 crore per day with
improved risk management practices, that too in a span of 12 months, is no
mean achievement. No wonder that in his second run at the helm of the BSE,
the Reformist Rathi-as he is called-has set himself the task of expanding
reach, introducing new products like derivatives trading (in May, 2000)
and Net trading at the exchange level (in June, 2000), and corporatisation
of the BSE by making it a self-regulatory organisation. Says Anand, 53,
who is an A.V. Birla Group veteran: ''We will now take the lead in
introducing corporate governance on the exchange.'' Cheers to that.
|
