Director: Sandeep Modi
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, and others
Streaming on: Disney + Hotstar
Rating: 4 Stars
The part one of the The Night Manager ended at a point where it left wanting for more. The makers along with director Sandeep Modi smartly decided to release the rest of the part three and a half months apart. The chase is bigger, more lethal but the mission is the same— to unravel the real face of the fancy business tycoon Shaily Rungta (Anil Kapoor).
This time the stakes of undercover agent Shaan Sen Gupta aka Captain Abhimanyu (Aditya Roy Kapur) are higher than usual under the full surveillance of Lipika Saikia Rao (Tillotama Shome) and her vigilante team. However, to discover the ugly side of Shaily, Abhimanyu and Lipika, both have to pay a heavy price every now and then.
Kaveri (Sobhita), who slowly shifts to Abhimanyu’s side starts developing emotional and physical attraction for him. Her troubled relationship with her boyfriend Shaily turns more sour when he catches her spying on him. Will Abhimanyu, Kaveri, and Lipika collectively unmask Shaily’s real intentions? This is what Sandeep weaves in his second chapter.
We all have drooled over Shaily’s flamboyance, Shaan’s hotness and Kaveri’s sultriness throughout the first part but the second one is more intimate and steamy. Abhimanyu and Kaveri’s lovemaking scene is perhaps one of the most sensuous scenes in the recent past.
Sandeep keeps the momentum of the first half intact and rather makes his second half more thrilling, edgy, and entertaining. It doesn’t have a dull moment at all. You will nowhere feel drawn out from the plot even a tad bit. Production designer Saini S Johray has done a fabulous job of creating the whole atmosphere so aptly. The background score is one of the key highlights of this part.
Aditya Roy Kapur is firm, sincere and sharp. He very well surpasses someone, who fits into a role of an underdog. Although, his flawed voice is a bigger barrier than expected for his role. Anil outshines as a smart, overconfident business player. Sobhita is a visual treat to watch. Her exotic-looking body, husky voice, and strong expressions add a lot to her character Kaveri. Tillotama is a firecracker performer, the way she slips into a nerdy, pregnant RAW agent isn’t a joke. New entrant Prashant Narayan is noticeable in his short role considering he is a brilliant artiste.
With the second and concluding part of The Night Manager, Sandeep offers a roller coaster ride and leaves no stone unturned in probably presenting one of the very few best Indian remakes post Aarya franchise and Oni Sen’s Out of Love.
