How 'Uri's popular 'How's the Josh' line came to life

"Uri: The Surgical Strike" director Aditya Dhar says its popular dialogue 'how's the josh?', which has been invoked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministers, comes from a childhood memory.

The film is based on the 2016 Indian Army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistan as a retaliation for the Uri attack that claimed the lives of 17 army personnel. The film features Vicky Kaushal in the lead role.

Recalling the story behind the catch-phrase, Aditya told PTI, "I had some friends from Defence background, so with them I used to go to a lot of Army clubs. There was one in Delhi where we used to go for Christmas or New Year parties. There used to be a retired Brigadier who would line up all the kids in front of him and have a chocolate in his hand.

"He would say 'How's the josh?' and we were to respond with 'high sir!' The kid who was the loudest got the chocolate. Being a foodie, I used to be the loudest and always got the chocolate," Aditya told PTI.

The phrase has acquired a life of its own, something that the director had never anticipated.

"I have heard very few Army people use the phrase. It is not something which is used extensively. What I did was I used the line in the right way in the film and now it has taken off to another level."
"The line was there right from the first draft. As a writer, we write according to our personal experiences, our memories. It is an amalgamation of everything. I had the line with me in my memory and this was the perfect film for it to come out."