By Hindustan Times

Mumbai, March 31 -- Within two-and-a-half years of being in the industry, he has emerged on the top with the sheer strength of his performance, charisma and sex appeal. To add to that, he's also a hit with brands that are queuing up to sign him on as their ambassador.

But recently, Ranbir Kapoor turned down two endorsements. While one is a denim company, the other is a big name in suiting and shirting. Apparently, the money for the suiting endorsement wasn't good enough. And the other brand was a not-too-expensive low-end label in denim. "Akshay Kumar is the ambassador for the high-end range and his contract with the company is still going good. Not pleased with the deal, Ranbir preferred to walk out. Considering that he's getting good positioning with other brands, why should he opt for less?" says a source in the advertising circuit. The price 'Game' It is believed that Kapoor charges six to eight crore, per brand, per year. The latest news is that Pepsi, the brand that he has signed on after it parted ways with Shah Rukh Khan, has spent an unprecedented Rs 35 crore on their newest campaign, The Game. At a conference to announce The Game, which goes on air today, Punita Lal, executive director, Marketing, PepsiCo India, admitted, "We've spent the highest amount of money on this campaign, something that we haven't spent on any star's campaign before." Ask the Youngistan ambassador if he's flattered to have replaced SRK who endorsed the brand for over a decade and he says, "Not at all. I don't think I've replaced anyone. I grew up watching Shah Rukh Khan's films and ads. That's when I started loving the brand. He is a huge superstar. I'm just taking his legacy forward. Seeing all that he's done for the brand and all that the brand has done for him, I'm just making whatever contribution I can." Prep talk Though the the campaign's budget could easily produce a film, Kapoor says that he doesn't think the money is riding on him. "The Game is a concept that is entertaining and engaging. It involves gaming, something I haven't seen in any ad. They are taking a risk and pushing boundaries," he says, adding that he feels the responsibility of the campaign on his shoulders. Known to prepare for every role, Kapoor reveals that he did his homework for this one too: "Apart from working on the look of the character, I also had to ensure that my movements were swift despite the harness. It's also the first time that I've used it and it's not easy making body movements smoothly. One shouldn't say, 'Oh, he's taken the support of the harness.' We did a lot of rehearsals and I'm glad we got the desired results."

Action role play

Point out to him that he seems to be doing more action in the campaign than in his movies so far and he agrees. "Yes, I've only romanced heroines so far. This is the first time I'm doing some really slick action. I also see it as a preparation to do some good action films in the future. Since the commercials are about 20-odd seconds each, the action is not as extensive as it would be in a film. Nonetheless, it was a lot of fun," he exults. When asked whether we'll hear of him being flooded with action roles after his thrill-a-minute campaign, Kapoor says he's hopeful. "As an actor, I must dabble in every genre. Since I haven't got an action film yet, I look forward to doing one. Hopefully, I'll get some good action roles in the coming months," he enthuses.