In Prime Video’s latest series “Citadel: Honey Bunny” – an Indian prequel to Russo Brothers’ “Citadel” featuring Priyanka Chopra – the action sequences are in plenty and almost relentless yet seem repetitive. Raj & DK have spoiled us with “The Family Man”, a sharp series where wit and action were quick on their heels. In “Citadel: Honey Bunny”, the lead pair Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan give their all to the action sequences and perform some awe-inspiring stunts, yet the series lacks the thrills.
Set in 1992 and 2000, with a non-linear narrative, “Citadel: Honey Bunny” begins with Samantha fighting goons double her size. She and her daughter Nadia (Kashvi Majmundar) are on the run from men who have a connection with Honey’s (Samantha) past. In the 1990s, Honey, an aspiring actress, had befriended stuntman Bunny on a film set. She is soon inducted into a surveillance agency by ‘agent’ Bunny. The agency is run by ‘Baba’ (Kay Kay Menon) and Bunny seems to be the leader of the motley pack of agents, leading a covert operation where a device needs to be stolen from a scientist at a convention in Belgrade.
Honey is initially inducted to act as a Honeytrap, but a quick recap of her past tells us that she is built for bigger things and can be an equally good agent, much like the boys. Even as Baba is weary of including a woman in the team, Honey and Bunny, along with Chakko and Ludo ( the other two agents), set out on a difficult task to acquire the disk, which the rival agency, too, is in need of.
Things changed in the covert operation in Belgrade in 1992, and in 2000, both Honey and Bunny had to pay for their mistakes. Honey, in her family man-esque avatar, will do anything to protect her daughter Nadia, who has been trained for ultimate escape from a young age.
Written and directed by Raj, DK, and Sita Menon, the series is a prelude to the Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden series. The good news is that the Indian version is sharper than the one made by the Russo Brothers. The bad news is that it still isn’t a very consistent thriller series. It has its moments, which mostly involve the leading lady Samantha Ruth Prabhu in her feisty avatar, but overall the series appears too repetitive, running low on suspense and thrills.
Varun Dhawan, in his digital debut, tries to do away with his loverboy image to play the tough action hero who is a tough nut to crack. But Dhawan never really shines as Bunny partly because makers concentrate on making Honey the fearless heroine, desperate to keep her daughter away from her past. Samantha’s role is way more flexed out than Varun’s. The actor plays Bunny, whose character gets very little layers.
Raj & DK’s films and series have always had an underlying sly humour running throughout the narrative. The two also manage to give hat tips to Bollywood through their characters. “Honey Boney” lacks even in these departments where the writing mostly focuses on action and invests less in emotions.
The series does have its special moments. The young Kashvi is crackling in her role as the young Nadia – aware of her mother’s dangerous past and always eager to be her sidekick. Scenes involving Samantha and Kashvi are warm. Samantha’s schemes with a scientist (Thalaivasaai Vijay) with whom she forges a friendship to acquire the disk also perform well.
“Citadel: Honey Bunny” isn’t Raj & DK’s best work but it isn’t the worst either. It gloriously presents Samantha and the actress delivers her part well. The thriller is inconsistent with its storytelling but still better than the terribly boring original series. (Agencies)
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