The three instalments of Citadel that have dropped so far on Prime Video form a jigsaw puzzle – the pieces are independent but also connected.
The Citadel Universe, created by Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh and David Weil and backed by the production muscle of Anthony and Joe Russo, started with Citadel (2023), starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden. The broad premise: the spy agency Citadel was established to preserve world peace but is on the verge of destruction, with its agents killed or incapacitated by rival outfit Manticore.
The Indian chapter Citadel: Honey Bunny is a prequel, the backstory of Chopra Jonas’s Nadia Sinh. Pay attention and the villain Ettore Zani from the Italian spin-off Citadel: Diana appears briefly as a young man.
None of the three stories had a proper finale, so each arm of the franchise can have an endless number of sequels or prequels. Only low ratings or unwieldy cleverness can stop this action-heavy universe from expanding.
Citadel: Honey Bunny was entrusted to Raj & DK, probably due to the reputation built by their The Family Man. Their frequent collaborator, Sita Menon, has developed the series. It is to the trio’s credit that they have created a mostly coherent six-part show that, while keeping with the original’s topsy-turvy, MacGuffin-laden format, pauses for romance, emotions, family and much-needed humour.
Like its predecessors, Honey Bunny has a non-linear structure. It’s an effort to keep track of the back-and-forth timeline, but the characters are properly developed with credible backgrounds.
Since the series is set in the past – in 1992 and 2000 – the tech wizardry is not overwhelming. There are pagers, bulky computers, and a gizmo coveted by two rival organisations. A missing part called Armada, needed to activate the device that will enable a dangerous tracking system, is hidden for eight years without hitting obsolescence because “the KGB sanctioned it, and they make things to last forever”.
Movie stuntman Rahi, aka Bunny (Varun Dhawan), is a secret agent of an outfit headed by Vishwa (Kay Kay Menon). The world-controlling technology that Vishwa pursues is also sought by Citadel, run in Mumbai by Zooni (Simran).
Bunny recruits failed actress Honey (Samantha) as the classic honeypot to steal the disc. In Belgrade, where they attempt to steal the Armada, things fall apart.
Eight years later, Honey is living a normal life with her cute and precocious daughter Nadia (Kashvi Majmundar), named after the movie icon Fearless Nadia (nice touch), when her past catches up with her. Honey is pursued by Vishwa’s men, Citadel agents and Bunny.
As Honey escapes from one tight scrape to another, the pace quickens and never lets up. After all escape routes are jammed, Honey seeks refuge in her family home in southern India. It actually hurts to see her heritage abode and its beautiful artefacts destroyed.
The CGI-free action set pieces have a raw quality to them. The hand-to-hand fights are slickly choreographed. The care and weaponry too have a retro look.
Varun Dhawan is comfortable as the action hero. Samantha has the feline body language and wide-eyed softness that allows her to be caring towards a scientist (Thalaivasal Vijay) she is stalking, maternal towards her daughter, and fierce in the fight scenes. Kay Kay Menon is smoothly menacing as Vishwa.
Sikandar Kher, Saqib Saleem, Sohum Majumdar and Shivakit Parihar adequately play supporting parts. Kashvi Majmundar is endearing as the “brave and fearless” girl who takes all the strange goings-on in her stride and tells Bunny, “I don’t do hugs.”
In the end, it doesn’t even matter what Citadel is and what the agency and its enemies are up to. Raj & DK turn the Indian edition into a love story. While the expertly shot and edited bedlam is the focus, the directors make you care about Honey and Bunny and whether they will have a Bollywood-style reunion.
