Published from Mumbai, Delhi & Bhopal

Absolute Review: The Night Manager: A power-pack thriller drama which walks on a thin line between being chaotic or charismatic

Shachi Chaturvedi | Mumbai

Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor, Tillotama Shome, Sobhita Dhulipala

Director: Sandeep Modi

Ratings: 3/5

Shaan Sen Gupta (Aditya Roy Kapur), an ex-soldier, is hired by an intelligence officer for an operation in which he is supposed to penetrate the inner circle of a deadly arms dealer.

Review

The story begins in the current day and then takes you to a period when Aditya’s character is a night manager at a big 5-star hotel in Dhaka, where he meets Rehmani, the major investor, and his 14-year-old wife, who want to return home. In the midst of assisting her, losing her, and battling for her, Shaun learns about the dark world of armour smugly led by Shelly Rungata (Anil Kapoor).

The intriguing first chapter of the series serves as an excellent introduction, leaving you wanting to learn more. The tale leaves you with a lot of unresolved questions, which will make you want to watch the sequel whenever it comes out.

In terms of character performances, Aditya, following his strange role in Om, makes it a point to give you a strong-hitting performance in this one. The actor switches between moods so quickly that you fall for his performance more than his steaming-hot physique.

Getting back to Anil Kapoor, his role keeps the series alive. He is a man who puts energy into everything, whether in a real or fictional life.

Sobhita’s character is one of the most disappointing to me since she appears to be there to strip, flash her bikini, and swim, sometimes in the pool and sometimes in the sea. Her character appears to have a complex backstory that has yet to be uncovered. I simply hope that the second half of the story resolves the issue of her pointless life that was raised in the first.

Tillotama Shome plays Lipika, the heroine who wants to discover and stop Shelly’s dark existence. She performs her part with the greatest conviction and does a surprisingly good job.

All of the other people in the series have very distinct personal stories that have yet to be disclosed, but the turmoil motivates you to unravel every bit of it, which excites you and makes you feel the drama. At the same time, too much going on in the background raises concerns that it may blur the story in front of us or temper the overall viewing experience.

In terms of film techniques, this instalment in the series lacks VFX, but the camera placement is effective enough to heighten the tension. Although I don’t want to ruin the suspense, the first episode of the series will undoubtedly have a sequence that will make you jump out of your seat.

Although the series lacks a large number of songs, the background soundtrack appears to be enough for keeping viewers engaged.

What’s frightening is that, what if the second instalment is worth the wait? Let’s wait until June to see what’s in store for us in the second instalment.

Conclusion

This series is enjoyable to watch, and it is engaging enough to make you watch it in one go. This series will also make you eager for the following part.

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