Both Aamir Khan and Kajol wanted to play this iconic Shah Rukh Khan role. 'Aamir turned up at our office, gloves in hand', recalls director

Mansoor Khan directorial, which hit the theatres in 2000, featured Khan and Rai as siblings and was an unofficial adaptation of the 1961 American musical ‘West Side Story.’

The movie went on to become a modest success at the box-office, and Shah Rukh received critical acclaim for his performance as Max Dias, a delinquent youth who leads a gang.
In an interview with PTI, Mansoor Khan revealed that his cousin, superstar Aamir Khan, was initially supposed to be a part of the movie, but he backed out when his wish to step into the shoes of Max was declined. Mansoor revealed that Aamir was offered to play the role of Aishwarya’s love interest, Rahul, which he turned down.

Aamir Khan had been gearing up to portray the character of Max in Mansoor Khan’s film Josh, but the director had always envisioned Shah Rukh Khan in that role. Aamir had previously collaborated with Mansoor on multiple projects, including Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, and Akele Hum Akele Tum, which led him to believe he would naturally be cast as the central figure in this new venture as well.

The storyline of Josh centered around two warring street gangs in Goa, with Max at the helm of the Eagles. His twin sister Shirley, played by Aishwarya Rai, finds herself romantically involved with Rahul, portrayed by Chandrachur Singh, who happens to be the younger brother of their rival gang leader. However, Mansoor had a different vision when it came to Aamir’s role in the film. He had always pictured Aamir playing Rahul rather than Max.