The Night Manager Part 2 Review: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur make for fantastic frenemies

By Shweta Parande

Disney+ Hotstar’s series The Night Manager Part 1 and 2 – the Indian version of the 2016 original television series on BBC, is by far one of the best adaptations in India of an international series.

We had reviewed The Night Manager – Part 1 and told you how we were impressed with the high production values, direction by Sandeep modi and Priyanka Ghose, and the superb acting by Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Tilottama Shome, Saswata Chatterjee, Sobhita Dhulipala and Ravi Behl.

Well, frankly, expectations were not too high from Part 2 of The Night Manager. We knew it would be good, but it turned out to be really good!

The Night Manager is based on a novel by John Le Carre of the same name. The British original was directed by Oscar Award-winning Susanne Bier, and starred big names in acting like Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Laurie and Tom Hollander.

The Indian version of the show does a swell job, and at some points is even better than the original! A fact stated by some of the cast and crew of the original as well, with Tom Hiddleston also praising Aditya Roy Kapur for being better than him.

Plot of The Night Manager Part 2 + Recap of Part 1

If you have seen Part 1 of The Night Manager, you know the drift. Aditya Roy Kapur is Shaan Sengupta aka various aliases, a former Indian navy officer working as a night manager at The White Flower hotel in Bangladesh.

In trying to rescue a 14-year-old Indian Muslim girl Safina (Arista Mehta) at the hotel, who has been illegally married to a high-profile criminal Fakhruddin ‘Freddie’ Rahman (Resh Lamba), who is part-owner of the same hotel, Shaan ends up being an unofficial agent with Indian intelligence agency R&AW, with officer Lipika Saikia Rao (Tillotama Shome).

But the death of Safina opens a can of worms, involving so-called Indian ‘businessman’ Shailendra “Shelly” Rungta (Anil Kapoor), who is a weapons smuggler. Time passes, and Shaan has stopped spying and is working at a small resort in Shimla, India. He has to get back into the game when Shelly ends up at the resort with his wife Kaveri aka K (Sobhita Dhulipala) and his trusted aide Brij Pal (Saswata Chatterjee).

Lipika convinces Shaan to get close to Shelly and win his confidence. That way, they can get his secrets, get hold of the weapons, and nab him. The demoted Lipika is supported by colleague Danish Khan (Joy Sengupta) to involve Shaan carry out an unofficial undercover operation in Sri Lanka, where Shelly is based.

Also read: Satyaprem Ki Katha Review: Engaging Entertainer!

At the end of the four-episode Part 1 of The Night Manager, we saw Shaan getting close to Shelly and his family, loved by his son Taha Rungta (Shrenik Arora), and secretly desired by his wife K. Shaan succeeds in outing Brij and Shelly makes him the head of his new business.

Cut to Part 2 of The Night Manager, and we see Shaan getting a new name, Captain Abhimanyu Mathur, to be the front of Shelly’s illegal weapons business.

The thrilling three-episode Part 2 is gripping and shows Captain Abhimanyu Mathur and Shelly strike a weapons deal in Saudi Arabia, even as Brij and Jaiveer “Jayu” Singh (Ravi Behl) get repeatedly suspicious of Shaan.

Some action scenes in the desert scenes, and a fireworks display of real war weapons really shocks the wits out of you. So, this is how casual the real weapons manufacturers and dealers must be, one can’t help but think.

The character of Shaan also leaves viewers confused, not giving out whether he has gone rogue as a spy or is just pretending. The Night Manager Part 2 gives a dramatic finish to the proceedings, with edge-of-the-seat direction and action.

Performances of The Night Manager Part 2

The handsome Aditya Roy Kapur has landed a career best role in The Night Manager. Anil Kapoor is, as always, top of his game. He is one of the best in the business for a reason. The two present an intense finale season as frenemies on The Night Manager. Sobhita Dhulipala is beautiful and full of intrigue.

Tillotama Shome and Saswata Chatterjee are the most deserving of an award for The Night Manager. The series is what it is as a whole because of their act, ably supported by Joy Sengupta, Vikram Kapadia and the other character actors. Prashant Narayanan as the unknown and evil weapons dealer from India is good.

The direction by Sandeep Modi and Priyanka Ghose, especially the action scenes that were helmed by the female director, are really worth appreciating.

Verdict

The Night Manager Part 2 season finale – the Indian version – is a must watch series. With Part 2, we conclude that The Night Manager is not just about beautiful faces, five-star hotels and resorts, weapons and terrorism. Shot extensively in India in Delhi, Mumbai, Shimla and Jaisalmer, and at international locations in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Middle East, The Night Manager is definitely worth a dekko for its content.