One 2 ka 4 (2001)
Starring: Shahrukh Khan, Jackie Shroff, Juhi Chawla, Nirmal Pandey
Director: Shashilal Nair
Music Director: A.R.Rahman
Synopsis: Slick action thriller a la Lethal Weapon falls way short of the mark
Reviewed by: Faiz Khan

 

 

Hollywood has always cast its shadow over Bollywood—sometimes deliberately, more often by default. Hindi filmmakers have long looked westward for "inspiration", although that inspiration has frequently amounted to little more than outright plagiarism. To the best of my knowledge, One 2 Ka 4 is not guilty of lifting a specific Hollywood film, but it certainly owes a considerable debt to the buddy-cop genre made famous by the Lethal Weapon series.

Arun Verma (Shah Rukh Khan) is a police officer who lives in a chaotic loft shared with his eccentric friend Champak. His partner is Javed Bhai (Jackie Shroff), a widower devoted to raising his four children. Arun, by contrast, finds children irritating and keeps his distance from them whenever possible.

The contrast between the two men is established quickly before we are thrown into an elaborate robbery sequence. Operating out of a sleek, open-plan police headquarters, the partners dash off to save the day, leaping from exploding buildings and performing suitably heroic feats. Everything points towards a fast-paced action thriller.

Unfortunately, appearances can be deceptive.

Javed encounters Geeta (Juhi Chawla), a lively young woman from Haryana trying to sell him some audio cassettes, and promptly passes her on to Arun. Geeta's broad Punjabi accent and comic mannerisms make it abundantly clear that she has been introduced primarily for comic relief. Naturally, we already know where this relationship is heading.

Meanwhile, Javed discovers evidence that someone within the police force is collaborating with drug kingpin K.K.V. (an astonishingly dreadful Nirmal Pandey), owner of the notorious Flamingo Club.

During an undercover operation, Javed is murdered by one of the corrupt officers, although the audience is deliberately kept in the dark about the killer's identity.

Suddenly Arun finds himself responsible for Javed's four children. Unable to bring himself to place them in an orphanage, he persuades Geeta to help care for them. The children gradually warm to her but harbour resentment towards Arun, believing him somehow responsible for their father's death.

This potentially touching relationship is barely explored. After one emotional confrontation and the obligatory song sequence, everyone seems to forgive one another and life continues as though nothing much has happened.

One evening, Arun visits the Flamingo Club and is astonished to see Geeta performing on stage as a dancer. Returning home, he demands an explanation, only to be told that she has been with the children all day.

Perhaps he drank too much.

The mystery deepens as Arun struggles to provide a home for the children after they are forced to leave their house. They move into his ramshackle loft, complete with chickens and pigeons—not exactly an ideal environment for four youngsters.

The film also attempts to highlight the financial hardships faced by honest police officers. Arun apparently struggles to make ends meet, although his immaculate suits and designer belts rather undermine that argument. He may only own a motorcycle, but he hardly looks impoverished.

Desperate for money, Arun raids K.K.V.'s club, stealing cash that he partly donates to a priest and partly uses to buy the children a proper home. Unfortunately, someone recognises him, leading to his suspension while an investigation begins.

Who betrayed Arun? Who murdered Javed? Who is the corrupt officer? Why was Geeta at the Flamingo Club?

The answers prove disappointingly predictable. Anyone familiar with Hindi thrillers will see most of the twists coming long before they arrive.

One 2 Ka 4 is a considerable disappointment.

With its slick trailers, impressive cast and outstanding soundtrack, one expected an energetic modern thriller bursting with style. Instead, Shashilal K. Nair repeats many of the mistakes that plagued Grahan, attempting to juggle too many different storylines without doing justice to any of them.

The film clearly wants to be a contemporary buddy-cop action movie, complete with leather holsters, motorcycles and explosive action sequences. Unfortunately, Bollywood simply lacked the technical polish at the time to compete with Hollywood in this arena, leaving much of the action looking surprisingly tame.

Having established itself as an action film, it then veers into sentimental family drama through the four children. Yet this thread is never properly developed either. We rarely witness any genuine emotional bond forming between Arun and the youngsters. A more sensitive director could have created something genuinely touching here, but Nair merely skims the surface before moving on to the next subplot.

The romance between Arun and Geeta is similarly handled in a routine, formulaic manner, although Juhi Chawla manages to inject warmth and humour whenever she appears.

The film ultimately sits uneasily between two genres—action thriller and emotional family drama—without ever successfully blending them. Corruption within the police force is raised as an issue but explored only superficially. By the time the identity of the murderer is finally revealed, the suspense has long evaporated, and the climax feels rushed and badly written, as though the filmmakers simply wanted to tie up every loose end as quickly as possible.

The editing is also surprisingly clumsy, particularly during the first half, where several scenes lose much of their intended impact.

The numerous songs further interrupt the narrative, although in fairness they are among the film's greatest strengths.

Shah Rukh Khan emerges as the film's biggest asset. He brings vulnerability, warmth and immense charm to Arun, and for once keeps many of his familiar mannerisms under control. His performance elevates the material considerably and makes the film far more watchable than it otherwise deserves to be.

Juhi Chawla reminds one just how underutilised she has often been as an actress. Comedy is difficult, yet she performs Geeta with impeccable timing and infectious energy. It is difficult to imagine anyone else making the role work so well.

Jackie Shroff performs capably in his brief role, while Nirmal Pandey is simply dreadful. One wonders why an actor of his ability accepted such an embarrassingly over-the-top part.

A.R. Rahman's music is superb. The background score gives the film far more energy than the screenplay ever manages. The standout track is undoubtedly "Khamoshiyan", beautifully sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Sonu Nigam, although "Sona Nahin Na Sahi", "I Am Sorry", "Dil Ki Baazi Laga" and "Osaka Muraiya" are all first-rate compositions. Even the title song is highly infectious.

If you approach One 2 Ka 4 with modest expectations, you may find it reasonably engaging.

The trouble is, with Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and A.R. Rahman involved, modest expectations are almost impossible.