The night manager has no surprises, observes Deepa Gahlot.

For those who read spy thriller maestro John Le Carré’s book and watched the 2016 series, The night manager Based on this – albeit with significant changes – the Hindi version might seem boring.

This is a bare-bones version of the original that works to a point, but without Le Carré’s careful plotting of political detail and nasty rivalry between authorities in Britain, it becomes yet another thriller about a man caught up in an undercover investigation going on criminal network.

The heavily altered first installment (the Hindi adaptation is by Shridhar Raghavan) is undoubtedly well done.

Set in Dhaka as the Rohingya crisis spilled into street violence, the emotional quotient soared when the whistleblower was transformed from a world-weary mistress into the 14-year-old child bride (a beautiful Arista Mehta) of a brutal Bangladeshi tycoon.

Shaan Sengupta (Aditya Roy Kapur), the night manager at a luxury hotel, is revealed to become involved in the dangerous intrigue involving an Indian arms dealer, Shailendra ‘Shelley’ Rungta (Anil Kapoor), and India’s elite intelligence agency, corrupt officers who reluctant to catch him.

The only one willing to stir the wasp’s nest is Lipika Saikia (Tillotama Shome).

Haunted by the Bangladesh fiasco, Shaan finds himself in a snowy hotel in Shimla, and this time he meets Rungta and his entourage who come face to face with his sexy girlfriend (Sobhita Dhulipala, cast for the Elizabeth Debicki-like ability to be). looking stupid in the face, sulking and putting on clingy costumes), gay sidekick (Saswata Chatterjee) and background musician.

Shaan spies on them and sends information to Lipika who, without permission, hatches an elaborate plan to bring Shaan to Rungta’s Sri Lankan empire.

The motivation doesn’t seem strong enough, but Shaan risks his life for the mission and befriends Rungta’s lively son in the process.

Rungta and his assistant are not entirely sure of Shaan’s identity, despite the thorough background check rigged by Lipika.

The presence of stars and a generous budget are allowed for shooting in lush interiors and picturesque locations.

With Sandeep Modi as showrunner and co-director with Priyanka Ghose, the series understands the superficial trappings of the plot but not the intricate circuitry that makes the Le Carré novel tick.

So it is up to the actors to fill in the gaps.

Anil Kapoor is underutilized and without the threat of Hugh Laurie in his eyes, but he has the ability to charm the viewer without even trying.

Thoroughly chiseled and handsome, Aditya Roy Kapur doesn’t look like a broken man searching for meaning (just a tiny tick in Tom Hiddleston’s eye gave much away).

It’s left to Saswata Chatterjee and Tillotama Shome to chew up their scenes – he’s equal parts clown and guard; She has the zeal of a woman who has to rush into the boys’ club every day to eat at her table.

There are no surprises for lovers of the spy genre.

Also, much of the storyline has been left out for a Season 2, leaving audiences to wait until June for more action and drama before mission accomplishment.

The night manager Stream on Disney+Hotstar.

The night manager Review Rediff rating: