Sunday, July 2, 2023

Great Storytelling, a stellar cast and superlative performances: The drama intensifies in The Night Manager Season 2


As the four-month-long wait comes to an end, the series serves a relentlessly engaging plot from beginning to end in this new season. If the first part of the espionage thriller was engaging, the plot thickens in The Night Manager Season 2 with hurdles, thrill, drama, plot twists and superlative performances with great Storytelling. In the second season Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur) has a new identity and replaces Brijpal aka BJ (Saswata Chatterjee) as Shailendra Rungta (Anil Kapoor) aka Shelly’s CEO.

Now with a powerful place in Shelly’s inner circle, as his covert mission is underway, Shaan gets emotionally entangled with Shelly's girlfriend Kaveri (Dhulipala), which could potentially yield fatal results for both. Caught in a dilemma, Shaan is pushed to make difficult choices that make things more complicated for him and exciting enough to keep the viewer hooked and on the edge of the seat. As the plot thickens with more players into the game and with more lurking dangers, Shaan needs to make moves on his own as there’s a more evil mafioso in the game, played by Prashant Narayanan, and Freddie Rehman (Resh Lamba), which take the story to another level.

Besides a constantly-riveting plot, performances make this one an out-and-out winner. One saw Anil Kapoor in a subdued avatar in the first edition, but he unleashes the finesse here. He proves that he meant business when he warned Shaan that it would be best if he didn’t meet the man behind the suit. And one can see what that means. He shows how evil and strong-headed he can be, from a backstory that Lipika narrates and a scene in a warehouse that will have one gasping. Aditya Roy Kapur also brings his A-game to the role as he plays a business tycoon, leaves Lipika wondering what he is up to, exacts revenge, and also plays a peacemaker in a scene. Sobhita Dhulipala has a meatier part and she does complete justice to her character, whether in emotional scenes or as a brave woman in distress. Saswata Chatterjee has a shorter role but he hits it out of the park as Shelly’s loyal but hurting aide. Tillotama Shome, too, has a longer role and props to her for doing a fabulous job as an insanely committed, sharp and honest agent.

Talking of performances, Aditya Roy Kapur looks sauve as sharp and charming Shaan, but it is Anil Kapoor who delivers a solid performance as Shelly. Sobhita, is given a much meatier role in this season beyond her steamy chemistry with Aditya that remains a highlight of the show. But neither Prashant Narayanan who made news for his deadly performance in Murder 2 nor Saswata Chatterjee who was the most sought-after actor after Kahaani have any scene-stealing moments. However, Tillotama Shome is crackling as a pregnant handler and the mastermind of the whole operation. She may take the cake for being the next best actor.

Adapted by Sandeep Modi and Shridhar Raghavan, and directed by Modi and Priyanka Ghose, the 2nd Season does not have a single dull second, as the plot is well-crafted and full of unexpected twists and turns, keeping the audience engaged and guessing until the very end. A gripping thriller with the right amount of edge of the seat movements, it is undoubtedly more explosive and thrilling than ever! Truly a not to miss content, this season is definitely enjoyable and worthy of your time if you are into spy thrillers. Streaming now only on Disney+ Hotstar!

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