Until a few months ago, Shah Rukh Khan was the sole superstar and no one got to cut into the viewers' attention when he was around.

But now in the season's blockbuster, "Main Hoon Na", Zayed Khan gets to share the limelight with him, even getting the more aggressive lines and playing-to-the-galleries kind of personality.

"Yea, I guess you've a point," concedes Shah Rukh Khan for whom "Main Hoon Na" is one more success. "I do all the rough stuff at the beginning of the film and then just move back. Army officers aren't supposed to talk that much," he jokes.

But there's more happening here than meets the eye.

For the first time, a junior co-star is allowed to take the flamboyant stance while the mega-star moves back comfortably in the shadows. In his last film, "Kal Ho Na Ho", Shah Rukh wasn't just present in almost every frame, he was far more verbose than his co-star Saif Ali Khan.

In the semi-hit "Masti", top gun Ajay Devgan almost had a walk-in-walk-on part while the younger generation - Vivek Oberoi, Ritesh Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani - had a ball.

"It's in the nature of things, for the older generations to move back and let the younger breed take center-stage," avers India's biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan.

"In most of my films I have just a character role while my younger co-stars get to do a lot more of the heroic stuff."

In Rajkumar Santoshi's "Ranveer" where Bachchan and son Abhishek come together, the latter has a far more substantial role. And in Farhan Akhtar's "Lakshya", Hrithik Roshan takes center-stage while Amitabh Bachchan plays a pivotal but restricted role.

Again in the forthcoming "Lakeer", which is directed by filmmaker Ahmed Khan, the established stars Sunny Deol and Suniel Shetty are happy to let the generation-next represented by John Abraham and Sohail Khan whoop it up to their heart's content.

Are our mega-stars finally learning to be comfortable in their space?

Says Suniel Shetty: "Why not? It's great to see these new young boys making a mark. I treat Abhishek and other youngsters like my brothers. Far from feeling threatened I'm always there to help them in every way possible."

Vouches star aspirant Ramman Trikha, who features in Ram Gopal Varma's "Ghayab": "Suniel has been a real help and encouragement. If it wasn't for him I'd have found it hard to survive out here."

In the earlier eras of super stardom, the mega-stars shied away from extending a helping hand to wannabe. That seems to have changed.

Salman Khan openly encouraged and supported Hrithik Roshan when the latter started out, even helping him to build his physique.

Suniel, Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt almost treat Abhishek Bachchan as their own, and now Shah Rukh has taken Zayed under his wings.

Says the upcoming Nakul Vaid: "Throughout the making of 'Vadh' and 'Ab Tak Chappan', Nana Patekar was my mentor, guide and sounding board. In fact, Varma gave me 'Chappan' on Patekar's recommendation."

Similarly the bright and talented Anuj Sawhney is all praise for Paresh Rawal.

"During the making of 'Fun2shhh', he took me and my colleagues under his wings. I got to learn so much from him. The film was worth the effort just for the joy of hearing his tips on acting.

"I guess the established stars can afford to be generous towards us youngsters, and they are doing just that. It's a good trend, and it'll bring more talent into the industry."

A far cry from the insecurities that nearly drove Arshad Warsi out of the industry.

"When I was offered 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S.', the first question I asked was, who was playing Munnabhai? When I was told it was Sanjay Dutt, I accepted. Anyone else would've simply cut my lines."