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When Amitabh Bachchan was in semi-retirement in the late eighties, Anil Kapoor was the only actor who came closest to the throne vacated by the Big B, but for a brief while only. Unfortunately for Anil, he fell short of the expectations people demanded of him and that's why he failed to sustain.

But that irrespective, nobody can take away from Anil his phenomenal talent, his boundless energy and absolute commitment to his work. Which is what has put him ahead of all his contemporaries. For most industry folk, Anil Kapoor is still Mr. Consistent at the box-office.

Not bad for a man whose family didn't have a roof over their heads when they began their struggle in Bombay. Very few people know that Anil's father, Surinder Kapoor was secretary to Shammi Kapoor. Anil Kapoor had lived for a few years in a one-room tenement in one of Bombay's distant suburbs. Their journey from poverty to pomp has been phenomenal and one man responsible for this is none other than Anil Kapoor himself.

When Anil Kapoor was launched by his brother Boney in a small-budget emotional drama Woh Saat Din in 1983, not much was expected from the film. After all, that was the time when star-sons were being launched in a major way. Kumar Gaurav with Love Story, Sanjay Dutt with Rocky and Sunny Deol with Betaab.

But Woh Saat Din managed to strike some balance with the audience and Anil Kapoor was noticed. There was no looking back, thereafter. Anil was soon signed by makers like Gulshan Rai, Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai. He was pitted against actors of the calibre of Dilip Kumar and Naseeruddin Shah. But Anil held his ground and that worked in his favour.

Anil evolved with his roles and never really limited himself to any set image. On one hand, he had emotional dramas like Meri Jung, then there were comedies like Chameli Ki Shaadi, thrillers like Karma and fantasy-capers like Mr. India. Anil excelled in every role he played.

1988-89 were the crucial years for him. He was the only actor who delivered hit after hit. Tezaab, Eeshwar and Ram Lakhan in a row. The industry was quick to label him the new numero uno. Anil's undoing was that he went along with the image and as a result, the expectations rose sky-high. When he couldn't match upto them he fell. And he fell hard.

In the mid-nineties, after disasters like Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, Rajkumar and Trimurti behind him, Anil changed his strategy a bit. Now, a quick potboiler was the name of the game. And the gamble paid off. Hits like Laadla, Loafer and Judaai gave him back the lost recognition. In the late nineties, with age catching up, Anil was playing a new tune. He had shifted to playing character roles and even in these, he managed to steal the thunder from right under the respective heroes. Like it happened in Taal and Biwi no.1.

Right now, Anil is safely playing a bit of both. He's still the lead opposite actresses like Aishwarya Rai and Preity Zinta. At the same time, he's specialising in cameo roles that have some substance.

What has really paid off in Anil's case is his sheer commitment to his profession - one lesson that all youngsters need to learn from him.