What Is the Story About?
Disney Plus Hotstar’s The Night Manager Part 2 picks up the story from where it left off in Part 1. Hotel night manager turned RAW agent Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur) continues to ingratiate himself into the good graces of illegal arms dealer Shelly Rungta (Anil Kapoor), to gain his absolute trust. As he treads the dangerous path, stakes rise for all concerned, including Shaan’s handler RAW officer Lipika Saika Rao (Tillotama Shome), Shelly’s girl Kaveri (Sobhita Dhulipala), and his right hand man, BJ (Saswata Chatterjee).
Shridhar Raghavan has adapted The Night Manager from John le Carre’s novel of the same name, directed by Sandeep Modi and Priyanka Ghose, and produced by Banijay Asia and The Ink Factory.
Performances?
Anil Kapoor is superb as the ‘Merchant Of Death’, Shelly Rungta. Vile and vicious, he brings a sophisticated menace to his character. He is easily at par with, if not better than, Hugh Laurie’s turn in the BBC original. Aditya Roy Kapur is equally fabulous as rookie spy, Shaan Sengupta, aka Abhimanyu Mathur. Cool, calm and collected outwardly, with maybe a thousand storms swirling inside that good-looking head of his, Aditya Roy Kapur uses his physicality, especially his piercing gaze, to devastating effect in the series. It is perhaps the only time his dishy gorgeousness has actually helped push his agenda in the performance department.
Tillotama Shome brings finesse and heft, as well as the right touch of eccentricity to her RAW officer character, quite like Olivia Colman in the original. She’s brilliant, to put it simply. Saswata Chatterjee stands tall yet again as BJ, supremely making the character his own.
Sobhita Dhulipala sticks out like a sore thumb in the midst of the fine performances in The Night Manager. The actress who was mighty impressing in her nuanced Made In Heaven outing and her decidedly terrifying Ghost Stories turn, seems like a fish out of water in The Night Manager; yes, even with all the swimming she does in Part 1! She’s not a patch on the serene beauty and innocence of Elizabeth Debicki in the original, and hence, not as impactful too.
Prashant Narayanan impresses in his short but scene-stealing appearance as the enigmatic, unnamed arms buyer. Ravi Behl, seen after ages on screen, delivers the goods. The rest of the cast lends commendable support.
Analysis
Disney Plus Hotstar’s The Night Manager is that rare remake that impresses as much as the original. Lavish production values, as top-notch as the original, superb performances, on point dialogues and a taut screenplay ensure that the series keeps viewers hooked throughout. The series risked losing audience interest owing to Hotstar’s questionable decision to break up an already short series into two parts. Still, The Night Manager immediately captures audience interest upon its return after a gap of four months.
Of course, it helps that the Indian remake is co-produced by the original producers The Ink Factory, and executive produced by original director Susanne Bier, writer David Farr, and the estate of the late John le Carré, handled by his sons. With ample involvement of the original makers, recreating the superior quality of the original is a foregone conclusion.
That said, the series might feel like a drag for those who’ve already watched the British original. And yet, the sizzling combination of Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Tillotama Shome manage to keep us engaged and invested in the narrative. For the rest of the considerable Indian audience who’ve not watched the original, The Night Manager is a worthwhile watch by all means.
A few niggling flaws mar the viewing experience somewhat. For instance, when Shaan and Shelly escape the RAW agents in the Dubai hotel, the agent calls out to Shaan by his real name, even though the world now knows him as Abhimanyu Mathur. It is a tiny mistake that niggles majorly. Equally silly is the fact that the supposedly razor-sharp Shelly simply misses all the red flags around him, starting from Shaan’s entry into their lives and how things start going downhill from there on. This was a point that made even the original English version too simplistic, a flaw that carries into the remake.
To aim it up, The Night Manager is a well-made series, and a worthy remake, easily at par with the original. Part 2 is a fitting end to the series, and we can’t but help waiting for Tom Hiddleston to get on with making The Night Manager Season 2 quickly, so that we can watch the explosive duo of Tillotama Shome and Aditya Roy Kapur in action again, as they gun for yet another villain of the modern world.
Music and Other Departments?
Sam C.S. has given an exceptional background score for the series, one that amps up the suspense and thrill by several notches. Breathtaking cinematography by Benjamin Jasper and Anik Ram Verma adds to the watchability quotient of the series. Parikshit Jha’s editing is crisp and flawless.
Highlights?
Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur and Tillotama Shome
High production values
Taut screenplay
Drawbacks?
A few minor errors
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes
Will You Recommend It?
Yes
The Night Manager Part 2 Series Review by Binged Bureau
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