The Night Manager review: Anil Kapoor and Tillotama Shome stand out in this star-studded espionage remake
Disney+ Hotstar brings an Indian remake of The Night Manager. With Aditya Roy Kapur and Anil Kapoor in lead roles, the series keeps the audience engaged.
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, Saswata Chatterjee
Espionage has almost always been framed around dark corners, alleyways and gloomy meeting areas where deadly deals are made by uber serious people. The BBC revised this template in 2016 with its adaptation of John Le Carre’s novel The Night Manager. Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie, alongside other accomplished actors, pulled off stylish performances in a sunlit series, where espionage also affected the lives of those involved in the trade of violence and death.
Now Disney+ Hotstar brings an Indian remake that is loyal to the original material and cinematic in treatment. The series keeps you engaged and utilises its star cast efficiently.
The Night Manager is a visually stunning series that sets up a soldier turned hotel manager against a fearsome but suave international arms dealer. In the four episodes that have been shared for reviews, the storyline of the original series has been Indianised suitably for context.
Lead actors Aditya Roy Kapur and Anil Kapoor feature the cover of The Night Manager book by John Le Carre | Image: Disney + Hotstar
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The series opens with an escapade sequence in the picturesque snow-capped Himalayas. The clock turns backwards to show Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur), a hotel manager at a Dhaka luxury hotel, dealing with the frayed nerves of high-profile guests, amid the Rohingya refugees protests. He can provide for almost everything.
When an underage, spunky but scared girl in a hijab approaches him for help to rescue her from a forced marriage, Shaan gets involved in a dangerous revelation about an arms deal. The name—Shailendra Rungta AKA Shelly (Anil Kapoor)—sticks in his mind. His attempts to help this girl leads him to the Indian High Commission and RAW officer Lipika Saikia Rao (Tillotama Shome), but their combined efforts fail. Shaan’s efforts end tragically.
Image: Disney + Hotstar
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Years later, Shaan accidentally crosses paths with Shelly at his new job at a super posh Shimla hotel. His entourage includes his attractive girlfriend Kaveree (Sobhita Dhulipala), and a gay second-in-command BJ (Saswata Chatterjee), among other friends.
Shaan manages to get crucial info on this shadowy arms dealer, which inspires Lipika to recruit him for a dangerous undercover mission. The fate of this mission hinges on Shaan’s ability to penetrate the razor-sharp coterie of Shelly and uncover all the men behind bloody illegal arms trade.
In creating a visual world that is steeped in luxury and extravagance, directors Sandeep Modi and Priyanka Ghose have certainly delivered the goods. Like in the original, most of the negotiations take place in sun-soaked beaches and fancy parties. Champagne and expensive wine flow like water and a battalion of liveried staff cater to Shelly’s guests at his exotic, fortress-like home.
Image: Disney + Hotstar
Having said that, the naturalistic dialogue and conversational treatment in the most crucial scenes dilute the underlying danger of an arms deal that can hurt countless people. Arms deals could well be replaced by deals around agricultural equipment, which is the cover used here.
Shaan’s understated but determined penetration of Shelly’s coterie depends on the interplay between Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur. The veteran star delivers a strong performance when he oscillates from small talk to piercing remarks about the night manager, thus reflecting his intelligence and foresight.
Kapur has kept his performance subtle. But he falls short while trying to depict Shaan’s inner conflict and his effort to quash demons from his past.
Sobhita Dhulipala and Saswata Chatterjee do well in their crucial supporting roles.
The best performance of the series is from Tillotama Shome, who plays the RAW officer. Shome is natural and appears casual in the dangerous choices she makes and yet she is determined to do good.
Sam C S has delivered an effective background score that is in sync with the altering moods of this series.
The writing by Shridhar Raghavan and Sandeep Modi is taut, but, in their effort to stay close to the original, there is limited effort in raising the drama or tension. Unlike the original, this series doesn’t stretch the limits of the actors in conveying emotions.
With its cinematic scale and an engaging interplay of characters, The Night Manager achieves a fresh take on espionage drama.
Rating: 3.5/5
Edited by Swetha Kannan
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