Josh

Plot

Two rival street gangs—Eagles, made up of local residents, and Bichhoos (Scorpions), consisting of immigrants—operate in the town of Vasco, Goa. The Bichhoos are led by Prakash Sharma, while the Eagles are led by Max Dias. Prakash, a delinquent, uses his gang for underhanded activities in the Vasco real estate market. Max and his twin sister Shirley are orphans and members of a local motorcycle crew alongside the Eagles. The gangs are sworn enemies and have divided the town into territories to prevent clashes, with Fr. Jacob or the town Inspector usually intervening when they fight.

Rahul, Prakash's brother, is a well-educated masterchef working in Mumbai. After two years away, he returns to Vasco intending to take his family back to Mumbai. However, while touring the town, he rediscovers his affection for it. In Eagles territory, he meets Shirley and falls in love with her, deciding to remain in Vasco and open a pastry shop. His involvement with Shirley draws him into the gangs' rivalry. Max and the Eagles disapprove of Rahul's presence and destroy his shop, leaving him heavily indebted to his landlord.

Desperate for money, Prakash plans to take control of the village ground, which historically belonged to Alberto Vasco, the landlord of the village and the man after whom the town is named. Rahul discovers that Alberto passed the ground to a woman named Mary Anne Louise. Investigating the address listed for Mr. Vasco, he learns that Mary had rented Rose villa at 13, Churchill Road, from Lady D'Costa twenty-two years earlier. Mrs. D'Costa reveals that Mary was Max and Shirley's mother, and that the twins are Alberto Vasco's illegitimate children, born in 1958.

Rahul intends to reveal their parentage to Shirley in a letter, but Prakash intercepts it. Realising that the twins' inheritance could be worth ₹20 lakhs, Prakash plots to have Rahul marry Shirley and to kill Max so that he can obtain the land. When Prakash attempts to kill Max, a fight ensues and Max accidentally shoots him while defending himself. Max is arrested, and the trial creates a rift between Shirley and Rahul, as Rahul initially believes Prakash had approached Max to ask for Shirley's hand in marriage and that Max killed him without justification.

Before Max is sentenced, Rahul discovers the truth and defends him in court. He produces documents proving that the disputed land is Max and Shirley's inheritance: Alberto Vasco, having distanced himself from his children, had placed it in their mother's name. The judge therefore rules that Max acted in self-defense and acquits him. Max apologises to Rahul and asks for his blessing to marry Shirley, ultimately reconciling the two gangs and uniting the Eagles and Bichhoos.

Cast

Shahrukh Khan as Max Dias, Shirley's twin brother

Chandrachur Singh as Rahul Sharma

Sharad Kapoor as Prakash Sharma, Rahul's brother.

Aishwarya Rai as Shirley Dias, Max's twin sister.

Priya Gill as Rosanne, Max's love interest (special appearance)

Sharat Saxena as Police Inspector

Vivek Vaswani as Savio

Aanjjan Srivastav as Mr. Mascarenhas

Suhas Joshi as Rahul's mother

Nadira as Mrs. Louise

Ali Asgar as Deven

Sushant Singh as Gotiya

Puneet Vashisht as Ronnie

Raymond Albuquerque as Alberto Vasco

Shraddha Nigam as Prakash's girlfriend

Rajesh Khera as Matwyn

Manav Gohil as Ganpat

Production

Director Mansoor Khan made a comeback to filmmaking with Josh after a hiatus of five years. He had initially approached Salman Khan for the role of Max Dias, but Khan declined the film as at the time he was dating Rai and was uncomfortable playing her brother and Shah Rukh Khan then signed on. Mansoor was keen on bringing Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan together for Josh, approaching him for the role of Rahul Sharma, but the latter rejected the film as he found the role given to him too small. The role was eventually played by Chandrachur Singh.

To enhance his on-screen resemblance to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan donned blue contact lens for the film. The production journey of "Josh" spanned four years, involving a meticulous creative process.

Music

A. R. Rahman was signed as the music composer at first, but opted out due to scheduling conflicts with other films. After Rahman opted out, Mansoor Khan roped in Anu Malik to complete the music quickly and release the film on time. The song "Hai Mera Dil" is based on "Sealed with a Kiss" written by Peter Udell and Gary Geld, and "Djobi Djoba" performed by Gipsy Kings. In a notable debut, Shah Rukh Khan showcased his vocal talent by singing the song "Apun Bola". According to Box Office India, with around 18,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack was the year's ninth highest-selling album.

Reception

Box office

Josh grossed ₹30.05 crore (US$3.1 million) in India and $1.127 million (₹5.01 crore) in other countries, for a worldwide total of ₹35.06 crore (US$3.6 million), against its ₹16 crore (US$1.7 million) budget. It had a worldwide opening weekend of ₹8.82 crore (US$920,000), and grossed ₹15.81 crore (US$1.6 million) in its first week.

In India, the film opened on Friday, 9 June 2000, across 300 screens, and earned ₹1.25 crore (US$130,000) nett on its opening day. It grossed ₹3.71 crore (US$390,000) nett in its opening weekend, and had a first week of ₹7.25 crore (US$750,000) nett. The film earned a total of ₹17.83 crore (US$1.9 million) nett, and was declared "Average" by Box Office India. It is the 5th-highest-grossing film of 2000 in India.

Among overseas territories, Josh had an opening weekend of $575,000 (₹2.55 crore) and went on to gross $800,000 (₹3.56 crore) in its first week. The film earned a total of $1.127 million (₹5.01 crore) at the end of its theatrical run. Overseas, It is the 9th-highest-grossing film of 2000.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama noted "On the whole, Josh is a well-made film with great performances and a hit musical score. But the Goan ambience will restrict its prospects in some states due to lack of identification. Also an average second half and a weak climax are major limitations".

Awards

46th Filmfare Awards:

Nominated

Best Film – Ratan Jain

Best Director – Mansoor Khan

Best Villain – Sharad Kapoor

Best Music Director – Anu Malik

Best Female Playback Singer – Alka Yagnik for "Hai Mera Dil"

2nd IIFA Awards:

Won

Best Art Direction – Nitin Chandrakant Desai

Nominated

Best Director – Mansoor Khan

Best Supporting Actor – Chandrachur Singh

Best Villain – Sharad Kapoor

Best Music Director – Anu Malik

Best Story – Mansoor Khan