India's most significant global convention of the entertainment industry, Ficci Frames 2001, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, begins today at Hotel Regent, in Mumbai's western suburb of Bandra.

The two-day event will see major players from the entertainment industry, right from business leaders, representatives of the government's decision making bodies, stars, broadcasters, cable TV industry, and the advertising sectors out in force. They will be participating in the discussions, and workshops at the convention.

Its main idea: converge cinema, television, audio, cable, together and focus to bring about an upgradation of quality, content and professional management of the entertainment industry, similar to that seen in Hollywood.

Nearly 116 representatives of the various segments of entertainment from all over India will be present. Among those attending: Sushma Swaraj, union minister for information and broadcasting, Pawan Chopra, secretary, ministry of I&B, Anil Baijal, CEO Prasar Bharati; V Chandrasekaran, chairman and CEO Pentamedia Graphics Ltd; Amit Khanna, CEO Reliance Entertainment; Markand Adhikari, vice-chairman and managing director SABe TV; Shabana Azmi, MP; Ronnie Screwvala, chairman and MD UTV; Lalit Modi of Modi Entertainment; director Shyam Benegal, and film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

Top-notch representatives of the entertainment world will also speak on issues and hold discussion panels. For instance Discovery chief Kiran Karnik, SET's Kunal Dasgupta, Bhuvan Lall, executive director IBF will be speaking on the regulatory framework of broadcasting.

Munesh Khanna, country had, corporate finance, Arthur Anderson, will make a presentation on the present status and future of the entertainment industry. Bonds contracts, insurance, and debt financing in the entertainment industry will also be brought up for discussion.

A lot is being promised, right from a glimpse into the business of story telling by Mahesh Bhatt to the art of content creation by Ekta Kapoor, creative head of Balaji Telefilms. Meanwhile, Ravina Raj Kohli, CEO HFCL Nine Broadcasting, will be talking on the business of commissioning programmes by TV networks and distinguished movie-maker Ramesh Sippy will speak on the relevance of big screen entertainment for the small screen.