Film school said no, Bollywood embraced him: Anil Kapoor talks cinema, fitness 

At the India Today Conclave 2026, Anil Kapoor rejected comparisons with Dev Anand and spoke about carving his own identity in Bollywood. He revealed how his signature stubble helped shape his on-screen image. 
Anil Kapoor reflected on his decades-long journey in Hindi cinema while firmly rejecting comparisons with the legendary Dev Anand. He was speaking on day 1 of the India Today conclave 2026 at a session titled 'The Ageless Rebel: Rewriting the Rules of Stardom' at Taj Palace in New Delhi. 
The 69-year-old said that while he deeply admires the iconic star, he believes every actor must carve out their own identity. He also opened up about the early struggles he faced in the industry and how his now-signature stubble became an important part of his on-screen image. 
Speaking to the session, Anil said, "Nobody can be Dev Anand. He is the greatest. He is an ultimate. I am not Dev Anand... I am Anil Kapoor." 
THE ACTOR'S SECRET 
The actor then jokingly shared his secret is his stubble and not his moustache. He said that early in his career, he often struggled with how filmmakers perceived his appearance. Many thought he looked too young for certain roles, which is why he kept a stubble to appear slightly older. 
He recalled that when he worked in Woh Saat Din, some people felt the role should have gone to a more mature actor like Sanjeev Kumar because he appeared too young to play it. Even later, including in Mr India, he continued to keep the stubble in different kinds of scenes. 
Anil also said that many people initially believed an actor with a moustache could never become a major star. However, he disagreed with that idea and pointed out that iconic figures like Charlie Chaplin and Raj Kapoor. 
ANIL APPROACHED FOR DHURANDHAR 2 
Interestingly, Anil shared that filmmaker Aditya Dhar wanted him to do a small cameo in the much-awaited film. However, he couldn't say yes due to other commitments. "I said, Aditya, I would have loved to do this cameo, but these days I'm already committed, and he was releasing the film now. It's a fantastic film, and it's my loss," he said, expressing hope to work together soon.