The 'Josh' Twist: How Shah Rukh Khan Nearly Played the Villain, And Why He Didn't

You know, it's quite funny how cinematic history often hangs by the thinnest of threads, doesn't it? We remember Shah Rukh Khan in 'Josh' as the charming, carefree Max Dias, the leader of the Eagles gang, romancing Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Shirley. He was the quintessential King Khan, brimming with that signature swagger. But honestly, for once, things could have been incredibly different. Picture this: Shah Rukh Khan, playing the villain. Yes, that's right, the bad guy.

Turns out, when director Mansoor Khan was sketching out his vision for 'Josh', a rather interesting proposition landed on SRK's table. He wasn't initially offered the role of the beloved Max. Instead, the part in question was Prakash Sharma, the antagonist – the very character who, eventually, would be brought to life by Sharad Kapoor. Now, for an actor known for his romantic heroics, his anti-hero turns like in 'Baazigar' or 'Darr' were already a distant memory by the turn of the millennium. He was firmly established as the nation's heartthrob.

And so, one could imagine the dilemma. Shah Rukh Khan, at that point in his burgeoning career, was in no mood, it seems, to revisit the darker shades he'd so masterfully played early on. He'd conquered hearts with hero roles, you see, and perhaps—just perhaps, mind you—the thought of stepping back into purely negative territory didn't quite align with his trajectory. There’s a certain momentum an actor builds, and sometimes, a pivot just doesn’t feel right.

But why the sudden aversion, one might ask? Well, this is where the plot thickens a tad, and a certain other superstar might have played an unwitting role. You see, around that time, Aamir Khan had just delivered a smashing performance as the antagonist in 'Sarfarosh' (1999), earning both critical acclaim and box office success. For SRK, whose career path often seemed to subtly, almost subconsciously, parallel or diverge from his contemporaries, taking on a similar villainous mantle right after Aamir's triumph might have felt... well, a little too on the nose, perhaps? It's all speculation, of course, but it speaks volumes about the strategic dance actors perform in Bollywood.

Ultimately, Shah Rukh Khan did not walk away from 'Josh' entirely, thankfully for us, the audience. He simply walked away from the villain's role. And in a glorious turn of events, he embraced Max Dias, the charismatic protagonist, giving us those iconic Goa vibes and foot-tapping tunes. It was a choice that undoubtedly shaped the film as we know it, cementing his position as the quintessential romantic lead, even amidst gang rivalries and youthful exuberance.

What if, though? What if he had said yes to Prakash Sharma? Would 'Josh' have been a different film? Would SRK's career have taken an alternate path? We'll never truly know, but it’s a fascinating little footnote in the annals of Bollywood casting, isn’t it? A testament, perhaps, to an actor's instinct, or just a timely shift in preference, that gave us the Max Dias we all came to love.