Citadel’s finest agents descended in Mumbai earlier this week for the espionage thriller’s Asia Pacific premiere. The excitement in the air was palpable as Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden (who play elite agents Nadia Sinh and Mason Kane) kicked-off their global tour from Mumbai, and were flanked on the carpet by Varun Dhawan, Rekha, Sunny Leone, Aditi Rao Hydari, and several other celebrities. This is in addition to Amazon executives, Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Prime Video, and Sushant Sreeram, Country Director, Prime Video, India.

Rekha and Varun Dhawan at Prime Video’s Citadel premiere event
Rekha and Varun Dhawan making an appearance at the Citadel premiere event

What fans can expect

Madden said Citadel is a break from the conventional mold of TV shows being either “80% action and 20% drama” or vice versa. “Citadel is 100% drama and 100% action,” Madden said. 

Richard Madden at the premiere event of Prime Video’s Citadel
Richard Madden who plays Mason Kane in the spy-series Citadel

Chopra Jonas said fans should brace for a compelling, larger-than-life visual experience packed with an array of emotions. “Once you start watching the show, you won’t want to go grab a snack for the fear of missing something. We move that fast,” she said on the sidelines of the premiere.
ALSO READ: Everything you need to know about Prime Video’s spy franchise ‘Citadel’

“I love propulsive shows as I consider myself an intelligent viewer and I don’t like my intelligence to be taken for granted. This show does not do that (take viewers for granted).”

The plot

Citadel is a spy series packed with covert operations, counter-intelligence, and double-allegiances. It follows Mason and Nadia who narrowly escaped death after their independent agency was destroyed by operatives of Manticore, a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows. The lead characters have to deal with the duality of their memories being wiped out and embarking on a globetrotting assignment to stop Manticore’s mission to establish a new world order.

Made in Heaven and Mirzapur cast Shivani Raghuvanshi, Shweta Tripathi, Harshita Gaur at the premiere event of Prime Video’s Citadel
Shivani Raghuvanshi, Shweta Tripathi, Harshita Gaur glamming up the premiere event

So what traits make an excellent Citadel spy? Be an excellent liar, have a poker face, and be really good at remembering things, said Chopra Jonas.

Aditi Rao Hydari at the premiere event of Prime Video’s Citadel
Aditi Rao Hydari at the premiere event of Prime Video’s Citadel

Chopra Jonas on working with Amazon

Created by Josh Appelbaum and Bryan Oh, the action-adventure show has been produced by Amazon Studios and the Russo Brothers’ AGBO. Talking about the experience of working with Amazon Studios and Prime Video, Chopra Jonas said: “They have been my best partners, they have been incredible to work with, and I hope to continue working with them.” At the SXSW film festival in Austin, Texas last month, Chopra Jonas said that Citadel was the first project in her 22-year-long career where she received equal pay. “The ease with which Amazon Studios said, ‘That’s what you deserve, you are co-leads, that’s just fair,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, it’s fair,” Chopra Jonas was quoted as saying by The Hollywood Reporter.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas starring in the Prime Video’s Citadel
Citadel cast Priyanka Chopra Jonas will be playing Nadia Sinh in the series

Chopra Jonas also had a message for Amazon employees. “I think your company is amazing, especially Amazon Studios. I think Jen (Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios) leads top down with so much of respect and love. You will really enjoy the show and you should be very proud of the fact that you guys made this,” Chopra Jonas told About Amazon India.

Early reaction: Episodes 1 and 2

After watching the first two episodes, several premiere attendees took to Twitter and shared their opinion. Singer Sophie Choudry said she was ‘hooked’ and proud of Chopra Jonas for always ‘pushing the limits.’

Journalist Abhimanyu Mathur said he would be surprised if Madden doesn’t get a ‘Bond gig’ after his performance in Citadel.

Attendees also called Citadel a 'spectacle' and an 'adrenaline-filled ride’ while lauding the ‘sizzling chemistry’ between Madden and Chopra Jonas.

Where you can watch Citadel

The Mumbai premiere marks an important milestone along the way to the series’ official release on Prime Video on April 28. Prime Video is a part of your Prime membership, which costs ₹179 per month or ₹1,499 per year. If you’re not yet a Prime member, you can sign-up for a free trial.

Prime Video is available on web browser, mobile devices, internet-connected TVs, set-top-boxes, Fire TV sticks and other compatible devices. For a list of devices compatible with Prime Video, or to sign up, please visit primevideo.com.

The countdown to the premiere continues. Keep an eye out for updates on About Amazon India and follow all of the news on the official Citadel Prime Twitter account.