A poster of the series ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’. (X)
Citadel: Honey Bunny (Hindi)
06-11-2024,
Action, Thriller,
6 episodes
16+
OTT
- Main Cast:Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashavi Majumdar, Kay Kay Menon, Saqib Saleem, Sikander Kher, and Simran Bagga
- Director:Raj and DK
- Producer:Syed Zaid Ali and Alek Conic
- Music Director:Sachin- Jigar
- Cinematography:John Heurlin Aidt
The American show Citadel (2023) is considered to be one of the most expensive web series produced. However, the response was quite lukewarm with not-so-great reviews from both the critics and the audiences. Despite that season two of Citadel has been announced.
Raj and DK’s Citadel: Honey and Bunny is a spin-off to this show. It doesn’t completely match up to the finesse of Raj and DK’s previous web shows— The Family Man (2019) and Farzi (2023)—but still it keeps you hooked.
The storyline of Citadel: Honey Bunny moves along two parallel timelines 1992 and 2000. Honey (Samantha) is an ambitious young woman who has run away from home with dreams of becoming an actress.
In pursuit of becoming an actor, her path crosses with that of Varun Dhawan’s Bunny a stunt coordinator. The friendship blossoms into love however Bunny is not what he appears to be. He is leading a double life as a spy for a secret agency.
Synopsis
Things take a turn when Honey, who first approaches Bunny to seek his help in becoming an actor, requests him to train her to be a spy.
Though Bunny initially hesitates, he soon agrees seeing her courage. Amidst this, enters another character Baba, played by Kay Kay Menon.
Kay Kay Menon is the leader of the spy group. He is also the one who has turned Bunny’s life around by picking him up from the orphanage and bringing him up with lots of love. Due to this, Bunny is devoted and loyal to Baba.
The aim of Kay Kay Menon and Co is to bring down “Operation Talwar” sabotaging a rival spy organization “Citadel” in the process.
As the mission progresses, big differences creep up between Honey and Bunny leading to a major cycle of events.
This is the story in brief, which is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
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What works and what doesn’t
Samantha and Varun from ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’. (X)
A strong aspect of Citadel: Honey Bunny is how Raj and DK have crafted the love story of the two primary characters. From the initial meet-cute moments to them developing feelings for each other has been wonderfully written and enacted.
The chemistry between Varun and Samantha comes across as organic. Even the scene leading up to their first kiss in the middle of a fun moment doesn’t feel forced.
Another strong aspect of Citadel: Honey Bunny is the dynamics between Baba and Bunny. Kay Kay Menon’s Baba is someone who alternates between being a bad man and also a fatherly figure for not just Bunny but the other guys too.
He inspires both fear and respect. The conversations between Baba and Bunny have an emotional depth with a particular mention of an orphanage scene in the sixth episode. Kay Kay Menon as usual does a very fine job of capturing the various nuances of Baba.
The production design of Citadel: Honey Bunny is quite commendable. Raj and DK along with the technical crew do a fine job in transporting the viewers back to the 90s and early 2000s.
One major problem with Citadel: Honey Bunny is the constant back-and-forth exploring the motivations of the various characters. This back-and-forth does help in giving a psychological insight into how the various struggles have shaped up the protagonists but it also slows down the show.
Another problem with Citadel: Honey Bunny is the underdevelopment of Simran’s character. Her character of Zooni needed better etching to have a stronger impact.
Performances
Samantha with Kashavi in ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’. (X)
Child actor Kashavi Majumdar playing Honey and Bunny’s daughter Nadia proves to be a major ace of this web series. Nadia has had to grow up well before time. She is thrust into the dark underbelly of the spy world.
Kashavi does a terrific job of portraying the internal conflict of a young girl whose carefree childhood has gone for a toss. She more than holds her own opposite Samantha brilliantly conveying resilience. The mother-and-daughter scenes give the show some of its best moments.
Samantha as Honey is successful in bringing out both the inner strength and vulnerability of her role. She simply aces the action sequences bringing in the intensity of a mother who is also a deadly spy.
A particular scene where she takes on a group of assassins while gently closing her daughter’s eyes to shield her from the bloodshed is brilliantly written and executed. Action is one of the mainstays of Citadel: Honey Bunny and the fight sequences are indeed a treat to watch particularly for those who like raw action.
Varun Dhawan as Bunny also shines particularly in the emotional scenes. A special mention must be made of his few scenes with Kashavi Majumdar. Saqib Saleem as the menacing KD also makes a striking impact. He proves to be a worthy opponent for Samantha and Varun.
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Final take
To sum it up Citadel: Honey Bunny is worth a watch for those who are into gritty action and the spy world.
(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha Kandula.)
