You could easily associate the 2000 film Josh with West Side Story. But that just scratches the surface of this story about rival gangs in Goa.
It is a story about a brother and sister who love each other very much.
It is about a boy and girl who fall in love despite the obstacles in their way.
It is about a piece of land and a lost inheritance.
It is about revenge, vengeance and ... forgiveness.
You don't mess with Max Dias (Shah Rukh Khan), the twin brother of Shirley (Aishwarya Rai) and leader of the Eagles gang. Prakash (Sharad Kapoor) is the leader of the rival gang the Bichhoos (Scorpions). They enjoy taunting each other and won't hesitate to get into a fight if they find the each other on the wrong turf. The song "Sailaru Sailare" highlights the tension between the Eagles and the Bichhoos.
Into this environment comes Prakash's brother Rahul (Chandrachur Singh) who has been living in Bombay. He falls in love with Shirley and she with him. But just like Maria and Tony and Romeo and Juliet, their love must be a secret love.
What makes this movie work is that none of the characters can be considered good or evil. They are complex characters who can love deeply and will fight for what they believe. Their biggest mistakes come from feeling they are invincible. And when the unthinkable happens, they seek to do the right thing.
Planet Bollywood gave the movie a 7.5 out of 10.0 and said:
The real stars are in the brother-sister pairing of Shahrukh and Aishwarya, who quite simply excel, and they would be expected to. They carry off their roles with such elan, that one wonders if the script limited them from doing any better. The portrayal of the brother-sister relationship is surely a highlight of the movie, besides their individual characterization.
Mansoor succeeds as a director in keeping the movie fast and interesting, though it is the characters who come out much stronger than the movie.
In the end, the characters linger with you. You want to see more of them. Whether it is because of the script or the actors, I found myself wanting to watch this movie more than once.