Industry is waiting with bated breath to see how 'Rockstar' finds audience for itself once it releases this Friday. Stakes are high not just for Imtiaz Ali here who would be looking at scoring a hat trick after 'Jab We Met' and 'Love Aaj Kal' but also Ranbir Kapoor. Reason being that Imran Khan is pretty much breathing down his neck, Emraan Hashmi has found a solid place for himself with some of the best projects in his kitty while Shahid Kapoor, despite a mega flop like 'Mausam', is pretty much in the same zone as far as young superstars are concerned.

"Let's get this simple, all slots in Top-5 are sealed and would remain so for next two years at the least. The three Khans, Salman, Aamir and Shahrukh, aren't vacating it soon while Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan are fighting it out between themselves to get into Top-5 space. This leaves the next few slots in Top-10 which are up for grabs. The battle has become intense for all involved. One minor slip from any of these youngsters and equations could change overnight," says an industry follower.

This can pretty much be evidenced from the way Imran Khan has shown a huge resurgence during last year and a half with multiple back to back successes. For someone who saw great acclaim with 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa', only to slip in a big way with 'Luck' and 'Kidnap', he has suddenly become a flavour of the season with 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan', 'Delhi Belly' and 'I Hate LUV Storys' turning out to be good money spinners and finding him great fan following.

"Ranbir in particular has to be very careful about his journey from this point on," says a trade expert, "He has demonstrated his acting capabilities on a consistent note and also seen huge successes like 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' and 'Raajneeti'. However post 'Anjaana Anjaani' he has been thirsting for a big hit. Since 'Rockstar' has been delayed while 'Barfee' too is taking some time to reach the finishing line, he can well be expected to be anxious about how year ahead of him looks."

One can well expect that to be the case for other youngsters as well who would be looking at staking their claim to be on top. Imran Khan has a romcom 'Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu' lined up with none less than Kareena Kapoor while Shahid Kapoor has a romantic flick Priyanka Chopra (Teri Meri Kahani) in the making. On the other hand Emraan Hashmi is pretty much surging away fast with 'The Dirty Picture', 'Shanghai', 'Jannat 2' and 'Raaz 3' at different stages of production.

"No one can take their place for granted anymore," says a filmmaker on condition of anonymity, "There isn't any single superstar, either in Top-5 or lower down, who can feel secure about retaining his place for years to come. Just like Aamir, Shahrukh, Salman and others have to be constantly on tow, same holds good for Imran, Ranbir, Shahid and Emraan as well. It is going to be interesting times for Bollywood from here on."