Josh

What a great flick, my God! This film, directed by Mansoor Khan, is a action romance about two rival gangs, one led by Shahrukh Khan (Eagles) and the other by Sharad Kapoor (Bichoo). They detest each other and constantly engage in violent street fights. The story focuses mainly on Khan's gang and centers mostly around his and Aishwarya Rai's characters. The two star as two Christian twins, Max and Shirley, who love each other very much. Soon comes Sharad Kapoor's younger brother, Rahul, played by Chandrachur Singh, and tries to woo Shirley. There starts the conflict.

The film is crazy, wild and surprising in the way it depicts modern street fighters in poor suburbs. The street fights are well shot. They are not overdone in any way. You will not see the typical superheroes of the 1980s who, all alone, could fight hundred gangsters and rest without a pimple. The love story is well portrayed. Chandrachur's character is well-written and he is portrayed as an intelligent, level-headed and humanly kind person and this comes pretty well across Aishwarya's spoiled and beautiful Shirley. The many instances that build their relationship, from the first days when she rejects him, the days when she tortures him badly to those when she can't live without him, flow brilliantly with the film's environment and mood.

Shahrukh Khan's character of a street-smart tough is atypically cruel and violent, but the actor is just stellar in this unusual role. He works with electrifying presence, creating another confident, cool and charismatic persona, excelling in action sequences, and getting everything about this part, whether it's body language or dialogue delivery, just spot on. It's a nice paradox watching him in a completely non-romantic role (he does romance Priya Gill's character, but just in several insignificant portions and that too in a very non-romantic way), but then again there's more to it as he would give his life for his beloved sister. This is according to me one of his more memorable roles.

Aishwarya is very effective and likable as Shirley, and acts even more convincingly in later portions when she turns into a suffering woman longing for her beloved. And what I really love about her is that she is never too high about her (gorgeous) looks. I mean, she romances the not-so-good-looking Chandrachur, and still manages to make him a completely great match for her with her believable expression of love for him. Frankly, in the beginning it does feel like she's really way too beautiful for him for them to make a believable couple. BUT after watching the film and Chandrachur's good performance I must admit I can't see anyone else but him in this film. Other cast members, all of whom I liked, include Sharad Kapoor as the other gang leader, Sharat Saxena as the strict policeman, and Nadira, in the last film appearance of her career.

The film's music by Anu Malik is fantastic. "Hai Mera Dil" is my favourite, and along with the melodious "Hare Hare" lightens the love story. "Apun Bola" sung by Shahrukh Khan himself is also a nice song. In a few words, 'Josh' is very modern, super-cool and an altogether enjoyable film. It is light, at times funny, at times dramatic, at times exciting, and is generally very well directed and acted, with great music, amazing settings and locations, and above-all -- a good story. I recommend.

It's not a bad movie, but it wasn't good either.

I found the acting average. Of course, I watched because there was Shahruk Khan.

Reaching a career high with DDLJ, SRK has managed to bring us a string of above average movies including Mega-hits Dil To Pagal Hai and 1998's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The years 1999/2000 saw 'King Khan' make some seriously trashy films - the forgettable Baadshah (SRK ego booster) and the overhyped PBDHH; an inexplicably bad movie, and the 'unable to find an audience cause it was an art film', "Hey Ram".

Shahrukh Khan is a talented actor and I still rate him above one hit wonder Hrithik Roshan. The fact is he needs to dump Aziz Mirza and Juhi Chawla - his chosen heroine for these awful films, and team up with some good directors. The 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' and 'Yes Boss' char aren't working.

Mansoor Khan's 'Josh' is an example of what I'm talking about. Shahrukh's character is more of an antihero and it allows him to tap into the intense badboy streak in him he, gave up on, in films like 'Daar', because he was worried about becoming typecast - see Ashutosh Rana. Mansoor Khan lets SRK bring out his character and tune it to perfection. Since the film took 4 years to make there is a maturity in his character.

Max, is one half of Max and Shirley, the movie's 2 protagonists. He's arrogant, rude, violent, bitter and laid back. He oozes with attitude and charisma. SRK makes Max someone the audience sympathize with one minute and then hate the next. She's the cute mischievous girl next door, in awe of her brother but slowly coming into womanhood herself.

Eventually, Shirley finds herself having to choose between the man she loves and her domineering brother's intense hatred for him. Aishwarya Rai pulls off one of her greatest performances ever - sans make up and designer outfits. Actress wannabes, this is acting!

On screen chemistry with Aishwarya Rai is brilliant, especially as they play siblings and not love interests. On screen rivalry with Shard Kapoor is the basis for an otherwise passable love story. Similarities with Romeo and Juliet and Mansoor's earlier QSQT are apparent.

Eventually it is a case of actors outperforming a film. As the opening credits appear with a mean soundtrack, Josh instantly struck a chord with every testosterone charged male out there. If only the end had not been so disappointing. I guess after Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai, the audience was expecting more. Mansoor, what happened? The first half of the film was excellent. Set in a quaint sea town in Goa, where gang wars spill out onto the streets everyday. The west side story take off visible in the opening number 'Sailaru, Sailare'.

The film loses steam in the second half with a property deed subplot but picks up to an above average climax and then losing balance altogether to come crashing down to a ridiculous anticlimax. I guess even good directors run out of ideas. At least the film did well at the box office - I suppose with 2000 being the year it's been so far, producers are lucky just to break even.

SRK - you were spot on with this film. Give up producing and stick to acting...none of us need another ABCL debacle. You will be remembered as someone with dignity and persona.

As to the film itself - it's worth watching once. Skip the end if you want to, but the microcosm of Max and Shirley's world in the first half is reason alone to watch it. Something to watch on a Sunday afternoon I guess. A poor ending lowers this to average fare.

PS: This was the first time I saw SRK scared in a movie, and I loved it.

phew!! this was the reaction many people had when they came out of the theatre. This movie is a bleak remake of the "Westside Story". The movie doesn't use the potential of the star-cast at all. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody

I love this movie. I watched it about 15 years ago and I still find myself humming the music like sailaru sailre or apon bola. The story is pretty good, the acting is amazing, SRK is incredible and I only like Aish's face but she is really good in this. But the love interests are pretty bland. The guy who Aish's character loves is a really bad looking and boring, Priya Gill is really good the only problem is we only see her the first half and when SRK finally gets the girl we don't see her at all. It is really one of my all time favorites but I have to skip the parts with Aish and the guy cause there's literally no chemistry. This movie would have been a perfection if done a little better.