Anil Kapoor enjoys the second run of stardom

After Big B it is now Anil Kapoor who is having a successful second run at the box office. So much so that he is giving stiff competition to Amitabh Bachchan.

There have been several instances in the recent past when producers decided to settle for Kapoor instead of Bachchan.

Sources close to Kapoor say he got back to films with the idea of doing occasional movies which would keep him busy. Fortunately, he bagged the right scripts, best directors and everything fell into place.

The story goes that Aditya Chopra also discouraged Tashan director Vijay Krishna Acharya from signing Bachchan to play a crucial negative character in the film. The role eventually went to Kapoor. Apparently, Bachchan's portrayal of the modern-day Gabbar in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag was one of the reasons why he wasn't offered the role in Tashan.

A source from the production house reveals, "Adi felt that Anil will portray the sexual streak in the character more effectively than Mr Bachchan. Also, unlike Mr Bachchan, Anil isn't overexposed."

Similarly, Percept Picture Company was insistent on making Johnny Walker with Kapoor. But director Shoojit Sircar took the same script to UTV Motion Pictures as he was rooting for Bachchan in the lead role. It's a different story that Kapoor begged out of Percept's Johnny Walker as Bachchan has already shot for Sircar's film, which is now titled Shoe-bite.

Kapoor's young looks, ability to convincingly play flamboyant characters, and his conscious decision to stay away from brand endorsements have only worked to the actor's advantage. "Like Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor, I have never believed in brand endorsements. Although my children think I'm a fool, I will never endorse any brand. Naturally, I'm not overexposed and it has definitely given me an edge over the rest," adds a rather frank Kapoor