The Night Manager: A Review Of The Indian Adaptation

The Night Manager, the BBC’s stylish adaptation of John le Carré’s spy thriller (directed by Susanne Bier), is mostly faithful to the original. Sandeep Modi and Shridhar Raghavan created the series, which features characters and situations that are nearly identical to the original. Unlike the American version, the Indian version of the show takes its time with key plot beats. Instead, it modifies and embellishes the entire series of episodes. The writers are able to tug at the heartstrings of the audience while also closing (or at least minimizing) some of the gaps in the original adaptation.

Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur), a former naval lieutenant turned night manager at a Dhaka luxury hotel, is at the center of this tale of espionage, love, and betrayal. He is eventually recruited by the intelligence community to work for an organization run by an arms dealer. The first episode of the Indian adaptation marks a significant shift in setting, with Shaan attempting to assist a child bride in escaping to India but failing to prevent her murder. And as the years pass and the protagonist is still troubled by the incident, the reader is convinced that he truly cares about the victim.

Furthermore, in the BBC adaptation, Olivia Colman’s portrayal of RAW official Lipika Saikia Rao (Tillotama Shome) introduces some significant differences from the original. The Indian producers flesh out the character and reveal some details about her personal life. Shelly Rungta, a shipping tycoon who uses philanthropy as a cover for his international arms trade, is played by Anil Kapoor in this film, and Shome, a seasoned intelligence operative, completely owns the role. She and Shelly’s chief of staff, Brij (Saswata Chatterjee), have some of the best lines in the show.

The Night Manager, like a number of recent web series, is praised for its excellent casting. Kapoor portrays a successful businessman with a young and beautiful girlfriend, Kaveri, with ease (Sobhita Dhulipala). Roy Kapur depicts the inner life of a mysterious, troubled veteran admirably. He doesn’t change his demeanor or appearance whether he’s in a sarong at a Sri Lankan fish market or a fancy suit at a hotel.

Bagavathi Perumal, Joy Sengupta, Jagdish Rajpurohit, Vikram Kapadia, Ravi Behl, and Rukhsar Rehman are among the well-known actors in the cast. As Shaan and Shelly continue to spar, it will be interesting to see how their characters evolve over the remaining episodes. So far, four episodes of Modi and Priyanka Ghosh’s show have been made available on Disney+Hotstar. The final four episodes are scheduled to be released in June. Given how far this story falls short of being a gripping thriller, crossing the chasm is probably not a good idea.

Even though the show is meant to be more suspenseful and thrilling, it relies on mushiness. It addresses both the Rohingya refugee crisis and the prevalence of child marriage, demonstrating an awareness of the global crisis we are all experiencing. In many of the most well-known spy thrillers, the antagonist’s plot includes a beautiful female sidekick. In addition, sexism in high-ranking government positions is addressed. The scene in which Lipika is sent to work in the archive after one of her missions fails is the best example of this.

The Indian adaptation filled some gaps, but the story still has some inconsistencies that make it difficult to believe. Of course, they’re easy to overlook amid the stunning scenery, aerial views, stunning settings, and hip Rungta culture. After all, the purpose of a spy thriller is to provide a thrilling diversion.

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