Citadel: Honey Bunny is the Indian series in the world of Citadel–the US installment that mainlined desi girl Priyanka Chopra Jonas. This one, features Samantha as Honey and Varun Dhawan as Bunny, in a world of spy agents, so you know what to expect—some secrets of national importance, espionage and dramatic car chases. It’s all about good guys vs bad guys and there’s way too many black SUVs, lots of guns being fired and frequent hand-to-hand combats, because let’s be honest—shooting isn’t as cinematically exciting as tossing people around, stabbing and breaking bones. Let’s not forget other key ingredients – double crossing agents, betrayals, car chases, and often (though not always) a love story tucked somewhere in between.
Filmmakers Raj & DK (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK) who earlier gave us the much-loved series, The Family Man and Farzi have directed Citadel: Honey Bunny. It is a textbook spy thriller with soapy charms.
An entertaining ride with pulse-pounding action
In episode 2, Honey asks Bunny, ‘Tum log karte kya ho? Tum log achche log ho ya bure log? To which he replies, ‘It’s not that simple.’ She replies: ‘Mere liye good and bad dono bahut simple hai.’ That scene captures the motivations of both the characters. There is good money spent on production and that’s evident. The show has been shot at some superb locations in India and abroad. The writing has depth and ambition but a bigger dose of intrigue and tension wouldn't have hurt. The pulse-pounding action sequences keep you moving to the next episode and there is drama in equal doses. The plot may be predictive, yet there is enough drama to entertain any masala spy thriller fan. Look for the Bollywood tadka – fearless Nadia, a casting couch incident, the Bachchan-Shaan reference, and references to how actors in Hindi films died with exaggerated emotions and long speeches in the 1990s. The dialogues amuse – “I don’t eat Cassata ice cream anymore” to “I am a trainer with benefits.”
Samantha shines with Varun Dhawan playing her charming counterpart
The series is set in the timeline of 1992-2000. One of the reasons could be that it is being pegged as a prequel to Citadel. It starts off in a sleepy town with Honey, a single mom running a café on a hill station. Before long, the enemy is at her door and she has to run away. But she has planned for such a day and has prepared her daughter too. A chase ensues. Samantha is the heart and soul of the show. Her character has been written with a lot of love, giving her the scope to play the part of a struggling starlet to a thriving secret agent; being a badass mom to a deliciously wicked daughter. Whether she is beating up the baddies or batting her eyelids at Bunny, she nails it all effortlessly. The misogyny of Baba (Kay Kay Menon) and her real-life Baba (Appa/father) is addressed subtly – one doesn’t want Honey on the mission the other doesn’t want her in his life.
Bunny, meanwhile, is just another boy from the army of orphans raised by Baba (Kay Kay Menon). Bunny is a stuntman in Hindi films. He is adept at lying about enjoying burnt chicken but blinded by loyalty to see the lies being fed to him. The shadow of Bunny looms in Honey’s life. He is cast as her saviour in various situations, and then trains her to save herself. And when she takes a backseat from saving the world and goes into hiding, he comes back to save her like an asli hero. His character is not as nuanced or multi-layered as that of Honey, and that’s not a bad thing for women on screen. Varun Dhawan stays true to his character, not giving in to the urge to look and act like a hero (except in the opening scene, which is a satirical take). This speaks volumes about his security as an actor. He takes a punch or two from Honey and even admits she is more fierce than him. The last scene laced with dialogue between him and Kedar (Saqib Saleem) is delicious.
The ensemble cast make the most of their performance
Baba played by Kay Kay Menon may serve horrid food in the series but he can be counted on to serve a delicious performance each time he is on screen. Someone will have to explain his bevy wives to me – what purpose was that? The little girl is written and played superbly by Kashvi Majmundar. Saqib Saleem and Sikander Kher get enough material to perform and they make the most of it.
The show ends with a big threat looming. Season 2 may answer a lot of unanswered questions from Season 1. Bring it on.
