“The Night Manager” is on the right path from here on. Part one of this action thriller drama based on the original British show threw light on the lives of the arms dealers who profit off war and strife in other countries, and they breed civil wars and terrorism without an ounce of guilt in them. Created by Sandeep Modi, the show takes us through the life of Shan Sengupta, who involuntarily gets mixed up with an illegal arms trade business; when he tries to save a 14-year-old girl named Safina from her husband, who is himself involved in the supply of arms and ammunition to an international arms dealer named Shailendra Rungta. Shailendra, aka Shelly, masquerades as a shipping magnate and a philanthropist, but he is a ruthless illegal arms dealer. Shan ends up witnessing Safina’s death, the trauma of which he still hasn’t recovered from. He and Lipika, R&AW’s south Asia head, plan to spread their wings and get in touch with Shelly by planting Shan in his inner circle and slowly gaining his trust.
Slowly and steadily, Shan walks into the lives of not just Shelly and his family but also starts noticing the families of Shelly’s business partners, most importantly Jayu, who seems to have a tough time keeping his hands off the babysitter. All of this and more transpire as Shan gets closer to Taha, Shelly, and Kaveri. To his surprise, Brij is asked to step away after causing a scandal amidst Shelly’s big business meeting in Riyadh with Saudi businessmen. Shan did not expect himself to be promoted this soon, but now that he has the power gifted to him on a platter, there is no turning back. Part One ended with Shan being handed something he was not very keen to seek. All he wanted was to gather intel against Shelly, which would help Lipika bring down Shelly’s empire. Now, given the power, it will be easy for Shan to maneuver without anyone questioning his motives and actions.
The second part of “The Night Manager” will give the audience a bigger peek into the lives of Shelly and Kaveri. Kaveri has a secret that she keeps to herself, and most probably Shelly is not kept in the loop about it. Kaveri’s secret will be revealed in the second part. She will find a confidante in Shan; someone she will talk to about the said secret she has kept close to her heart for the longest time. Shan and Kaveri will embark on an affair right under Shelly’s nose, which will make things awkward for both. Shan might also end up sabotaging the operation by getting involved with Shelly’s wife. This will not just put Shan on death row but will sabotage months of intelligence that Lipika has gathered, and all of it will collapse like a house of cards with no way to rebuild it. Shan will find it grueling to juggle the work he has to do for Lipika and the affair he is carrying out with Kaveri. Maybe both will find an emotional connection that Kaveri never found in Shelly.
Shan and Taha will also find it difficult to spend more time together from here on. Shan has been given more responsibility by Shelly and Lipika, two spheres he has to satisfy to make sure he stays alive and safe. Shelly is bound to bring back Brij into their business dealings; this time around, Brij will be more careful being around Shan, with him having more authority than ever before. Brij is not planning to believe Shan, and he will try to get more dirt on the man, and there is a high possibility of Brij getting close to finding out who Shan is and to whom he is supplying the information. Shan’s life will possibly come full circle as he will have had his revenge for the killing of Safina, and it will probably free him from the guilt of not being able to protect her. Brij’s death is highly plausible in “The Night Manager” and will likely be the fault of Shan, for Brij flew too close to him, and he will certainly know much more than he should have.
Since Shelly being an illegal arms dealer is the talk of the show from the very beginning, “The Night Manager” Part Two will display the amount of actual power the said man carries; and the amount of ammunition he possesses to be supplying it to war-torn countries. Shelly’s power will be on display, and Shan will tremble with fear just witnessing the vigor, influence, and intensity Shelly carries. Shan might be jolted by the raw display of power, but he will make sure not to be carried away by it because he has a bigger task in hand. Shelly and his henchmen, his business partners, are headed toward the doom of their business empire, which will take place sooner than anyone can imagine. But how will Shan lead us to that point where one gets to see ultra-rich Shailendra Rungta’s life taking a trajectory, something Shelly simply did not see coming? But will “The Night Manager” take a different route by ending it differently than David Farr’s adaptation?
It will be interesting to watch Shelly and his henchmen being arrested; it is but natural that Shelly will be bailed out faster than he was captured. Shan’s life will be in grave danger if Shelly gets out. Shelly will be eliminated, but by whom is the question that will be answered in “The Night Manager” Part 2? The police, his business partners, or his rivals? “The Night Manager” is an engaging watch and, so far, a faithful remake of the original British show, never deviating much from the plots mentioned in the original show.
