Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, Jackie Shroff, Nirmal Pandey
Director: Sashilal Nair
Producer: Nazir Ahmed
Music: A R Rahman
Never mind the maths, director Shashilal Nair surely has got his formula right with the balanced equation that goes One 2 Ka 4. Scoring perfect in almost every department, this comedy-thriller caper is the closest one has come to seeing a complete Bollywood entertainer in the recent past. Javed (Jackie Shroff) is an honest cop. He has an edgy quick-on-the-draw partner in Arun Verma (Shah Rukh Khan). The two are busy fighting Krishan Kant Virmani (Nirmal Pandey) alias KKV, a notorious drug lord.
Javed has this bandwagon of four kids. He loves them and he loves his job too. His partner Arun however does not share this passion. He absolutely can't stand Javed's kids. The feeling is mutual as the kids find a ready target for their pranks in Arun.
The happy-go-lucky cart is overturned when Javed is killed in one of the good guys vs. bad guys encounters. Plonk! The kids fall in the lap of the man who hates them the most - Arun Verma. The kids just refuse to accept him as his caretaker. Pushed to the wall Arun takes help from the Haryanwi Geeta (Juhi Chawla). Geeta wins the hearts of the kids and also manages to tame the always-edgy Arun. But just when you are about to roll off your seat with laughter, the suspense angle comes up and puts you on the edge.
In the maze of events, Arun smells something fishy and he finds that Javed's death was not just another accident. He was bumped off. To further confound the confusion, Arun one day follows KKV to a nightclub (belonging to KKV) only to find Geeta dancing with Arun's arch enemy KKV. Shah Rukh finds himself pulled in the maze of deceit and intrigue. Who is Geeta? Who killed Javed? Will the kids ever accept Arun as their guardian? All this forms the crux of the film.
Shah Rukh's first appearance as a cop is thoroughly convincing. His energy and dedication is reflected in every scene. The scene where he returns to the kids and informs them that their dad is dead leaves you helplessly as you watch your tears belie control and trickle off. Jackie Shroff is endearing in the role of a doting father. But as we all know, he probably just had to be his real self for the role. Nirmal Pandey is effective as KKV. One however wonders 'Yeh kya ho raha hai' for good old Tikku Talsaniya, who can be seen filling corners of the frame in certain sequences.
All said, this film actually belongs to Juhi Chawla. Her role makes you roll off from your seat with stomach ache. So whether its the "Hello walo jodhya, jai mata di bolyaan" or the "Kya re mara Rikki Marteen, tere gaal mein to gaddhay pad rahe hain", Juhi comes up with a winning performance.
On the technical front, there is little to complain about. The background score is arguably the best composition by A R Rahman to date. The songs are already ruling the airwaves. The editing is slick as it should be. And despite being under production for such a long time, cinematographer S. Kumar has been successful in keeping a fresh look throughout the film.
One 2 ka 4 emerges a winner, chiefly because one enters the theatre with the least of the expectations and comes out thoroughly entertained, the way only a Hindi movie can. This one family entertainer you cannot afford to miss.
