The Night Manager
Introduction
Ok so the weekend is here and the first OTT release of the weekend is officially ruined thanks to Hotstar. And with that I finished watching the new Hindi series The Night Manager, which I later got to know that this is just Part 1 of the show and that its concluding part will release in June. I have time and again voiced my opinion on how unfair this tactic is for a show. Mind you, this cannot be classified as Season 1, given that you have officially left the audience hanging in the middle of the drama which hasn’t officially taken off too! How do you expect a viewer to keep the excitement going till June when its second and final part is out.
This decision from Hotstar is rather baffling, given that the The Night Manager is adapted from a British miniseries of the same name. Yes, you read that right! It is a 6 episode miniseries and so expectedly only 2 episodes are reserved for June(unless the number of episodes vary). But to just release 4 episodes of a big show on a big platform is literally sabotage, something which would kill the buzz around the show! I still wouldn’t have had an issue had the promotions around the show been restricted to Part 1 only(just as Netflix had done with Money Heist wherein its final season was divided into 2 parts). The entire marketing team of Hotstar needs to be pulled up for this mess!
And to top it, the Hotstar server was down today without any intimation to the active subscribers. Technical glitches can happen anytime but to keep the users informed when your server has been down for more than 2 hours is absolutely mandatory. I hope this mess isn’t repeated and the OTT platform learns from the previous strategic decisions and technical glitches. So then how do I judge a show which isn’t even complete. This is a whole new challenge all together and something that I personally do not prefer taking up too. But here we go anyway, here are my two cents on The Night Manager – Part 1.
Story & Screenplay
An official adaptation of the British series by the same name, The Night Manager follows the story of a mole being implanted in the group of an arms dealer. What happens next? Now I haven’t watched the original series and so I do not have a handy reference of the things to expect. But the story here is fun although nothing really new to offer. Let me just put it across one last time, the story isn’t complete so I wouldn’t be able to completely form my opinions. The screenplay(of part 1) comprising of 4 episodes of 40 odd to 50 odd minutes does make for a brisk watch.
The drama does open with an escape across a very scenic location only to cut to an extended flashback. The entire Rohingyas issue is used as a backdrop here which did seem to be interesting to begin with yet it did not quite add up to the overall plot. It just felt a little sticky and half-baked. So you are introduced to the protagonist who is a night manager until he does come across a girl who requests for some help. But in an unexpected turn of events, tragedy strikes leaving the protagonist hungry for revenge.
The proceedings here are fairly engrossing and interesting although the entire first part here is restricted to a buildup. The real deal, I suppose, shall be revealed in the concluding part in June and therefore it is rather unfair of me to form opinions already. But I still need to adapt and the one thing that does work here is some well etched out characters. The character dynamics form an important element in the drama here that make for some interesting twists and turns. It is a shame that the screenplay at part 1 does end rather abruptly but here is hoping that things improve in the concluding part.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational and well intended which makes for a good watch. The music and BGM elevate the drama rather well here. The cinematography and art design are top notch and add well to the overall aesthetics of the show. The editing is pretty good too. The director’s chair is shared by Sandeep Modi and Priyanka Ghose and the direction is really good here. The show does hold your attention throughout due to the tactful buildup wherein the direction does shine.
Performances
The performances are pretty good here. Resh Lamba as Rehman is first rate as is Ruksar Rehman. Arista Mehta impresses as well as the little girl in the first episode. Ravi Behl and Saswata Chatterjee are both excellent to watch and hoping they get a meatier part in the conclusion. Tillotama Shome as Lipika is such a brilliant actor and here she is natural to the core. Her mannerisms will put a smile on your face in a performance which is phenomenal here. Sobhita Dhulipala as Kaveri looks pretty and does a good job although I feel that she was underutilized in part 1(again don’t wish to form opinions already). Aditya Roy Kapur as Shaan looks like a million bucks and impresses here with the ease in his performance. Anil Kapoor as Shelly(who hasn’t aged a bit) is wonderfully restrained and quite intimidating here. It will be interesting to further tap into the dynamics of the duo in the concluding part.
Conclusion
The Night Manager – Part 1 boasts of outstanding performances in a fun show sabotaged by Hotstar! I am deducting half a star for the incredible f*ck up by the OTT giant. Available on Hotstar with the concluding part expected in June.