The Night Manager Part 2 review: High on both thrills and human drama

The first part of The Night Manager followed the journey of an ex-Navy guy-turned-night manager Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur). His life takes a drastic turn when a tormented teenager seeks help from him.

The husband of this teen is a criminal and much older than her. He is also an associate of a businessman named Shelly (Anil Kapoor).

On the surface, Shelly is supposed to be a philanthropist. But in reality, he is a businessman who deals in illegal arms.

Shaan takes the help of a woman called Lipika Saikia Rao (Tillotama Shome) who works for the Indian intelligence.

In spite of his best efforts, Shaan isn’t able to save the teenager. And this leaves him absolutely shattered.

The crux of The Night Manager Part 1 was primarily about how Shaan manages to impress Shelly and gets access to his inner circle.

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Season 2 synopsis

The Night Manager Part 2 begins with the illegal arms dealer Shailendra Rungta aka Shelly.

He is still not aware of Shaan’s real identity. His trust in Shaan is so firm that he even makes him a business partner.

On the other hand, Lipika is continuing to trace Shelly at the cost of facing heat from the system.

There is also a secret love story developing between Shaan and Shailendra’s girlfriend Kaveri K Dixit (Sobhita Dhulipala).

However, Shelly’s friend Brijpal (Saswata Chatterjee) isn’t still convinced about Shaan’s reliability. Adding to Brijpal’s woes, he loses Shelly’s trust.

Like most espionage dramas, this web series is also about a man who rises against all odds to save the country. At the same time, The Night Manager Part 2 gives a deep insight into global politics through the character of Shelly.

The most awaited season finale has all your heart!!#HotstarSpecials #TheNightManager Part 2 now streaming.#TheNightManagerOnHotstar@AnilKapoor #AdityaRoyKapur @TillotamaShome #SobhitaDhulipala pic.twitter.com/OJqSkIubAF

— Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) July 7, 2023

Sobhita gets a strong role 

A big area of improvement in comparison to The Night Manager Part 1 is how the makers designed the character of Sobhita Dhulipala’s Kaveri.

In the first season, she was more of a glam doll. But now, the character has been explored much more.

The romantic moments between Shaan and Kaveri are subtle yet effective. However, as viewers you do wish that Kaveri shouldn’t have been reduced to a damsel in distress towards the end.

Sobhita Dhulipala is quite good and does hold her own opposite the terrific Anil Kapoor.

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A peek into world politics

Coming to Anil Kapoor, he does a fantastic job of portraying the evilness of Shelly. The monster side of Shelly comes out much more in The Night Manager Part 2.

For example, there is a scene where he butchers a former associate to death with what looks like a Reynolds ballpoint pen.

One of my favourite moments in the show is when he chews on the cigar and talks about bombs in a poetic way. It is so good to see Anil Kapoor reinventing himself constantly.

As earlier mentioned, the theme of global politics is explored through the character of Shelly.

He may look like the villain, but in reality, he is someone who is very much needed by the Indian government. Because people like him are hired to do the dirty work which the government doesn’t want to lay its hands on.

At one point, Shelly is compared to Osama Bin Laden whom America thought it could control, at least at one point in time.

These moments make the show a cut above the usual espionage drama.

When the plot is so hot, of course our screens are gonna light up 😜🥵 pic.twitter.com/HCIER52BVm

— Disney+ Hotstar (@DisneyPlusHS) July 5, 2023

Other characters

Aditya Roy Kapur shows once again why he is perfect for the role of Shaan. He lends the required mystery as Shaan doesn’t express a lot. His good looks also come in handy since Shaan is meant to be a seducer as well.

Another character from The Night Manager Part 2 that stays with the viewers is Saswata Chatterjee’s Brijpal. He effortlessly conveys the turmoil of a man who is losing the trust of his friend.

Tillotama Shome as the heavily pregnant intelligence officer continues her impressive form.

She is in equal parts resilient and vulnerable. She also gets her share of masala moments and the actress knocks them out of the park.

The cinematography by Benjamin Jasper and Anik Ram Verma is of the highest order. The desert shots, in particular, deserve mention.

The background music by Sam CS elevates the drama in several places.

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Final take

The Night Manager Part 2 is an espionage drama that manages to stand out with its understanding of world politics and stellar performances.

(Views expressed here are personal.)