Produced by: Venus Records & Tapes Ltd

Story and Director: Mansoor Khan

Music
Anu Malik

Lyrics
Sameer
Nitin Raikwar

Screenplay
Mansoor Khan
Neeraj Vora

Dialogues
Neeraj Vora
Aatish Kapadia 
Nidhi Tuli

Cinematography
K V Anand

Choreography
Farah Khan
Raju Khan
Howard Rosemayer

Editor
Dilip Zafar

Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Chandrachur Singh, Priya Gill  Sharad Kapoor, Sharat Saxena & Nadira

Box-Office status: Average

The Review: From the makers of 'Khiladi', 'Baazigar', 'Main Khiladi Tu Anadi', 'Yes Boss' and the likes, comes another gross earner JOSH. 

Set on the picturesque locales of Goa, the film is about the rivalry of Shahrukh Khan and Sharad Kapoor and love of Aishwarya Rai and Chandrachur Singh among this hatred.

Shahrukh has turned a singer in this film with the song 'Apun Bola', which is already breaking records. The picturesque locales at Mauritius and Goa have been captured beautifully by cinematographer K V Anand. The authentic sets by art director Nitin Desai have lent a very unique feel to the film. 

The two gangs - Eagles & Bichoo revel love to showoff their strength to each other. Prakash's city-bred brother, Rahul (Chandrachur Singh), falls in love with Max's twin-sister, Shirley (Aishwarya Rai). Rahul, a sensible young boy, does not agree with the mindless violence the two gangs resort to. In the end, the film confirms that mindless violence leads to destruction.

Inspired by WEST SIDE STORY, the film holds your attention from the very first sequence. The enmity between the two gangs is established at the very outset and the execution of these scenes proves director Mansoor Khan's command over the medium. The first half is exciting; it is laced with tense, humorous and sensitive moments, all handled with finesse that most gang-war films lack.

The interval point is among the highlights of the film. The fight-to-finish battle for supremacy and Ash getting unconscious when Shah Rukh tries to throttle Chandrachur is remarkably shot. This point raises the expectations for an equally engrossing second half. But the film loses ground in the post-interval portions.

The fault lies with the script of the film -- the basic premise of the story (the truth behind Shah Rukh and Ash's father) is weak. The flashback portions, coupled with Nadira's characterisation, should've been better explained. Even the climax leaves a lot to be desired. The courtroom sequence, when the verdict is pronounced, and prior to it the accident of Sharad Kapoor's actual murderer, seems like a shortcut to end the story fast.

Another drawback is the Goan atmosphere projected in the film. There is no denying that it gives the film a rich look in terms of colors used and language spoken, but the atmosphere will not be accepted in Rajasthan, Punjab and Bihar. 

Yet, it cannot be denied that Mansoor Khan deserves full marks for deviating from the run-of-the-mill trend by casting two top stars as siblings. Giving equal footage to Shah Rukh and Sharad, thus refusing to bow to market dictates requires courage. Otherwise too, his execution of sequences is remarkable. Notice the tense moments between Shah Rukh and Sharad Kapoor or the light scenes involving Chandrachur and Ash or the fight towards the pre-climax when Shah Rukh shoots Sharad, you have to accept the fact that the director knows his job well. 

Anu Malik's music compliments the goings-on beautifully. The film has a lilting score and every song is equally well picturised. 'Sailaru Sailare', 'Apun Bola' (rendered efficiently by Shah Rukh) and 'Hai Mera Dil' are gems that will add to the repeat viewing of the film. Action scenes (Abbas Ali) are vibrant. The fights look realistic and have been canned without resorting to crudeness. Dialogues are natural. Cinematography (K.V. Anand) is fabulous. 

Shah Rukh Khan excels as Max. He looks the character and performs it with utmost sincerity. This is undoubtedly one of the best performances of his career. Aishwarya Rai looks stunning (as always!) and delivers a great performance too. It must be noted that Shah Rukh and Ash don't look odd enacting the role of twins. 

Sharad Kapoor springs a pleasant surprise. He is totally under control and plays his part to perfection, matching Shah Rukh at every step. This film should prove the turning point in his career. Chandrachur Singh is first-rate too. He looks the character, which was so important, and his performance is sure to be appreciated. Priya Gill has too a small role to leave an impact. Nadira suffers due to a weak characterisation. Sharat Saxena and Viveck Vaswani lend adequate support. 

On the whole, JOSH is a well made film with great performances and a hit musical score.

- courtesy: indiafm.com and other sources

RATING