Josh

Josh -- Frenzy

MAIN CAST

Shahrukh Khan -- Max

Sharad Kapoor -- Prakash

Aishwarya Rai -- Shirley

Chandrachur Singh -- Rahul

BASIC PLOT OVERVIEW:

I've often heard Josh advertised as the Indian West Side Story, and that's a pretty accurate description. The two films share the same premise, although Josh's gangs are divided by religion instead of race: Shahrukh's character Max leads the Christian eagles while Sharad's character Prakash leads the Hindu scorpions. (Supposedly, the first drafts of WSS also divided the Sharks and the Jets by religion: Christians vs. Jews.)

FILM -- 3.5/5

For the most part, Josh lives up to its western predecessor. There are some awesome motorcycle stunts early on in the film that make up for the occasionally stupid choreography, and the costuming bounces between "truly fantastic" and "absolutely horrendous". Parts of the script are cliche, yet there's never a dull moment, and you can't tear your eyes away from the screen. There's a really interesting twist about two hours in to the film that I never saw coming! Shahruk Khanh's "aggressive flirting" with Rosanne (played by Priya Gill) makes for a comedic subplot that still fits within the film's context.

CHARACTERS -- 4/5

Sharad Kapoor is the film's stand-out as he portrays the stern Prakash, and he certainly reminds you of Bernardo in WSS. Shahrukh is really good; this isn't his best part, but it certainly isn't his worst, and I only laughed at his character's cheesiness a few times. I don't find Chandrachur Singh attractive in any way, shape, or form, but there's a good actor hidden beneath those beastly eyebrows. Unfortunately, Rahul is written as a 2-dimensional lover boy, and I had a hard time emotionally connecting to the character as a result. The Aishwarya/Shahrukh jodi has never worked for me, so I was ecstatic when I found out that Ash plays his sister in this film instead of his lover. Her performance as Shirley lends a certain charm to Rahul, mostly by virtue of her physical beauty. The way she delivers her dialogue can get pretty annoying, especially when she utilizes her "whiny little girl" voice or her obnoxious giggle, but other than that, I have no major qualms with Aishwarya's performance. The supporting cast is wonderful, especially Sharat Saxena. There are several animal co-stars as well, like a cat, several rats, and a snake, and I think they deserve props for making Aishwarya look even more beautiful when they're on screen together.

MUSIC -- 3/5

The film's soundtrack starts on a high note with "Sailaru Sailaray," a gang vs. gang tune with a really funky beat. The next tune, "Meray Khayallon Ki Malika," isn't nearly as appealing, but then "Apun Bola" comes along and soothes the wound with its playfulness. "Hai Mera Dil" and "Haare Haare Haare" are okay love songs with nice picturizing. "Zinda Hain Hum To" finishes the soundtrack with a bang. Overall, the upbeat songs are awesome, but the ballads are kind of "eh." I also wish that there was a little more power in the lyrics.

OVERALL -- 3.5/5

A lot of the film's concepts are taken directly from West Side Story--the finger snapping, the bait-and-catch games played by the gangs, the dance sequence, and so on--and I really wish they'd added more originality and freshness to those concepts. It also lacks replay value: I've seen this movie once and I don't think I'll ever see it again. In Josh's defense, the movie is still entertaining with only a few bland segments scattered about an otherwise engaging story. I wouldn't recommend it for your first Bollywood film unless you're already a huge WSS fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I definitely think it deserves a viewing at some point or another.

TOTAL SCORE -- 14/20 (really good)