The Night Manager

After a long time I found good entertainment mixed with good role plays by the actors especially Anil Kapoor and Sidharth Roy Kapur. Story is intriguing. They should have released atleast 6 episode in first part. Anil Kapoor puts life in his character. That spy agency lady role is too much dramatic it should have been avoided, it somewhat takes away the genuinity of the show. Now eagerly waiting for the second part. Hope it does not end in a conventional way. Senior actors like Anil Kapoor are a charm to watch, hope they continue in future also. I am also impressed by the acting potential of Sidharth.

It's been a while since I saw the hollywood version. So without hollywood bias I am writing this.

The original source is very smartly adapted into this Indianized version. Infact, I am impressed how the writers very subtly integrated current affairs into the events of the original source. It is also very well casted. I am loving the understated Aditya Kapoor is bringing to this character. Even Anil Kapoor who is famous for making his characters larger than life and sometimes louder than life (slumdog millionaire) has been keeping it very nuanced and thus adding to the menace. It feels more natural. I am not going to say anything about Shobhita Dhulipala because so far she hasn't been given much to do but the next part looks promising for her. Saswata Chatterjee is terrific as always and brings much needed comic relief in this dark methods. This is the first time I am watching Tilotama Shome and I am really enjoying her performance. I really hope she has a scene of banter with Saswata Chatterjee in next part.

It's so refreshing to hear good dialogues after such a long time. First Farzi and now this series is proof of how dialogues can make or break a scene. Also special mention to the title sequence. I didn't skip intro even once. Production design is top notch. They've really put their money into this. Great work behind the camera too except for a few out of focus sequences.

Where this series isn't working out for me is the pacing. A little too much breathing room is given to some scenes. Editing can be more snappy and the entire setup could've been an episode shorter. Shobita's character could've been given more to do, her backstory could've been explored instead of some other elements. Music is forgettable. But the most unforgivable mistake is marketing. Literally no one knows about this series. Is hotstar not confident about this series?

All that said, I am glad they picked this source and it looks great so far. I'll be watching the next part.

Web series review: The Night Manager streaming on Disney+ Hotstar #sanjuzzreviews #TheNightManagerOnHotstar #AnilKapoor #AdityaRoyKapur #DisneyPlusHotstar Story: A protagonist with a dark past, Shaan (Aditya Roy Kapur) is tasked by RAW to infiltrate the inner circle of a dangerous arms dealer Rungta (Anil Kapoor) who is masquerading as a philanthropist. A dangerous game then ensues which forms the crux of the plot.

What sets this webseries apart is the casting, absolutely bang on!!

Brilliant acting by Anil Kapoor as the ruthless Rungta, Saswata Chatterjee as Rungta's friend and right hand man, Tilotama Shome as the fiesty RAW agent, Lipika Saikia & Aditya Roy Kapoor are the highlight of the show. Shobhita Dhulipala too provides the oomph with some sizzling scenes !! Rukhsar & Ravi Behl are however wasted.

The story is a usual spy drama - nothing new there . The narrative though predictable at times is fast paced & engaging.

Another thing which suprised me was that only the 1st Part (with 4 episodes) is being streamed. Part 2 will stream somewhere in June 2023 . The makers could have easily released the entire web series consisting of 8 episodes at one go. Would have been great for viewers from the continuity perspective.

All said and done, this one's worth a dekho guys !! Watch it was some brilliant acting by the lead actors!!

Going with 3.5/5.. Adios 🙂!!

The Night Manager has all the ingredients for a hit espionage adaptation of a hit novel and an original series. Yet it falls short of the level of the original.

The cast is good with some promising talent. Anil Kapoor as a baddie is a fun prospect to watch. He is cut for such roles. Aditya Roy Kapoor has the charm and persona of a spy. Sobhita Dhulipala plays the damsel in distress to the tee. Saswata Chatterjee is equally clever and conniving. Tilotima Shome is a bright spark. She plays a spy boss inimitably.

The series has good production value considering the way it is mounted by the makers. The writing by Sridhar Raghavan is intriguing. The storytelling by Sandeep Modi needs more urgency and astuteness I feel. Really wish it soars in the second part. Would be such a waste otherwise.

The story is great. It never gets boring. There is always something to expect.

This series I feel was more focused on the details of the story than on action sequences. I hope that is not the reason people go and check this series.

I didn't know this was a remake when I watched it so I ended up enjoying it. This kind of also raises some questions on some moral things.

// Spoiler from here Overall this involves a hotel manager slowly getting involved in reporting an illegal arms trade. He slowly gets information but later also agreed to work with the government.

// Spoiler till here

Some of the moments are well written. I found them quite clever.

Overall must see in theatres.😂 Just kidding.