Citadel: Hony Bunny

Honey Bunny is a spy action thriller directed by Raj-DK and Sita R Menon. The web series, which stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles, is premiering on Amazon Prime Video. It is touted as the sequel to events in Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra’s 2023 show Citadel and Matilda De Angelis’ 2024 show Citadel: Diana.

When stuntman Bunny (Varun Dhawan) recruits struggling actress Honey (Samantha) for a side gig, they are hurled into a high-stakes world of action, espionage, and betrayal. Years later, as their dangerous past catches up, the estranged Honey and Bunny must reunite and fight to protect their daughter, Nadia (Kaashvi Mazumdar).

Raj-DK is already famous in Indian entertainment for creating series like The Family Man and Farzi. They have teamed up with the Russo Brothers for this Indian edition of Citadel.

The current series is a prequel to the story of Priyanka Chopra's Citadel. The show showcases the childhood of Priyanka's character, Nadiya, which takes place between 1992 and 2000. The series is laced with drama and emotions and weaves around the world of agents. There are also enough twists, but not every twist impresses.

Despite having the scope, the show's makers did not utilize it to elevate the characters in the show. They focused more on the connectivity and relatability factors. Interestingly, the show impresses only in the second half, but the initial episodes will generate parts of boredom.

The actual story begins from the 4th episode and the makers took a lot of time for the setup. The series will not live up to the expectations because Raj-DK already proved what they can deliver when they have good actors in hand.

The Citadel world is elevated with twists, but this version requires a lot of patience to understand and get into it. In the process, we lose our interest, which is a major backdrop. The narration of the series is haywire. People expect it to be a suspenseful thriller, but then drama comes in. When we expect the drama, an unnecessary twist takes center stage.

Varun Dhawan and Samantha performed their parts well. They rocked both the action and emotional scenes. KK Menon has a great screen presence, and he shines in the film. Samantha is the right choice for the project, and she brings her own charisma to the character she played. The best part is that her action sequences shine big time. The child artist Kaashvi was also impressed with her performance.

Technically, the series is good. The cinematographer Johan's work is impressive. The team, along with the production designer, managed to create the world of the 90s. The score is apt, but the editing could have been better. The lavish production values will give a pleasant watching experience.

On the whole, this Indian version of Citadel, which was released amidst huge expectations, failed miserably. Although the performances of Samantha and Varun Dhawan are impressive, the content with which they played around is not up to the mark. Except for few thrilling elements, the series fails to hold the attention.