Part 2 of ‘The Night Manager’, Hotstar’s Hindi remake of the British mini-series, released to rave reviews on June 30. The Sandeep Modi-directed show features Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Tillatoma Shoma. The three-episode series is as exciting and intriguing as Part 1 of the first season.
So, just why are audiences so enthralled by ‘The Night Manager’? The series is gripping, with an interesting plot and nail-biting climaxes. It revolves around the exploits of an illegal arms dealer Shailendra ‘Shelly’ Rungta played by Anil Kapoor. A navy officer-turned-hotelier-turned-spy Shantanu ‘Shaan’ Sengupta, (Aditya Roy Kapur) attempts to bring him to book. Sobhita Dhulipala plays Shelly’s mistress Kaveri, while Tillotama Shome does a fine job as Lipika Saikia Rao, the intelligence agency operative and Shaan’s handler who teams up with Shaan to entrap Shelly. The sharp dialogues and well-defined characters have kept the audiences gripped.
The makers have effectively brought out the stark contrast between the dark characters in the show- the warmongers who thrive on the idea of war, eliminating whoever comes in their way and the upright people who want justice and a better world for everyone.
Part 1 of the espionage thriller followed the travails of Aditya Roy Kapoor’s Shaan as he infiltrates Shelly’s gang to nail him down after an innocent young bride is murdered by her husband- a kingpin in Shelly’s gang. Shaan Sen Gupta is introduced as a diligent night manager of a high-end hotel in Dhaka who ensures his guests are comfortable during their stay there. He runs into a tormented teenager trying to escape the clutches of her older criminal husband and tries to set her free with the help of a RAW agent (Tillotama Shome’s Lipika Saikia). The girl leaks information of an illegal arms dealers racket. Shaan and Lipika try to help her, but she is murdered. Shaan takes off on a quest for justice. To cover his tracks and win Shelly’s confidence, Shaan pretends to be a prisoner who has escaped from the police. He runs into him at a hotel in Shimla, spies on him and learns of his next operation. Shaan then teams up with Lipika. The duo embark on a mission to nab Shelly. The plot then shifts to Sri Lanka. Shaan enters Shelly’s estate and wins his confidence by “rescuing” his son Taha from a kidnapper. He enters Shelly’s estate and keeps Lipika informed of his whereabouts. Shaan also gets close to Kaveri, who is shown as unhappy with her current existence. Her backstory, however, is yet to be revealed.
Anil Kapoor received accolades for his performance in Part 1 of the web series as the ruthless and dark Shelly. Aditya Roy Kapoor received rave reviews for his powerful performance as the principled Shaan.
‘The Night Manager’ Season 2 takes off from where the first part ended and is as riveting as its prequel. The thrills, plot twists, and drama only intensify more. Shaan is now the CEO of Shelly’s empire. He is embroiled deeper in the spy game and has a relationship with Kaveri; A new mafioso is introduced, played by Prashant Narayanan; Anil Kapoor unleashes his savage side as Shelly Rungta. Lipika faces more hurdles, while Sobhita has a meatier role.
Watch both seasons and stay tuned for more updates from the world of entertainment.
