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Aamir Khan is going to watch Josh

Dhiraj Shetty

A two-hero, one heroine movie. Nothing new about that one. But what happens if Bollywood's top hero and heroine play siblings? Now that's something to look forward to! Added to it is the game of one-upmanship between Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan. Imagine SRK's fate if the movie falls flat on its face.

So, to tackle that all important question: How does Josh compare with Kaho Naa.... Pyaar Hai? Well, all we can say is, it's in a different league altogether.

Does that mean it's curtains for SRK? No way!!!

Rakesh Roshan went halfway round the world, to New Zealand actually, to ensure the right backdrop for KNPH, Josh's director Mansoor Khan settled for our own Goa. Looks like even his dil is pucca Hindustani, though he has taken some liberty with the geography.

Well, you see, much as we would have liked it to be, Mauritius is not part of Goa. Anyway, SRK at least stuck to the Hindustani part and did not venture beyond Indian shores.

While Goa is also, perhaps, the only place in India where people's lifestyles have the right combination of the Indian and Western influences that the script demands. And, for a change, we get to see some real Goans instead of the usual caricatures.

But it is SRK who instills life in the movie. Every time he enters the frame, anticipation is in the air. And he doesn't disappoint. Be it his style, his bikes, his body language or simply the way he enters the frame. It does make you want to kick some part of his anatomy, especially towards the end of the movie.

Especially when you consider the mumbling, bumbling and tumbling he's subjected us to all these years. Now, if he would simply stick to acting as he has done in this film. But then, maybe he needs a Mansoor Khan to put some sense into his head.

Aishwarya Rai is the other person who sends the pulse racing. She looks fabulous in the movie. Won't say anything about her acting, though. Just go see for yourself.

Mansoor establishes the background and nature of the characters quite early, wasting no time on sentimental scenes and side characters, which is a welcome relief. The songs gel well with the story. After the interval, though, it does appear as if the Jains (the producers) had to remind Mansoor he still had three songs to fit in.

If Sooraj Barjatya promotes the well-heeled joint family, Mansoor firmly sticks to the nuclear version. He never takes the focus away from the story and uses fewer characters, unlike Sooraj who uses too many to make up for the lack of it.

Two things are certain about this movie. First, Aamir is going to watch it. Second, it's going to make him wish he was at least a couple of inches taller. And you are going to wish we had more movies like this.