'Citadel: Honey Bunny' review—Engaging, but doesn't completely hit the spot
Raj-DK's Citadel: Honey Bunny, released on Amazon Prime Video on Thursday, is a prequel to Priyanka Chopra Jonas's Citadel (2023). Compared to the drab, mediocre, and lackluster Hollywood series, the Indian version fares much better, with the performances emerging as the spy drama's biggest strength. However, despite ample potential, it stops short of being extraordinary, becoming clunky and tedious in places.
Honey, Bunny, Nadia and the world of espionage
CHB follows Rahi/Bunny (Varun Dhawan) and Honey (Samantha Ruth Prabhu). The former, a stuntman by day and a secret agent by night, ropes in his friend (later lover) Honey, a struggling actor, into his agency. However, after a high-stakes mission goes haywire, misunderstandings drive a wedge between Honey and Bunny until their paths collide again eight years later. Kashvi Majmundar plays their daughter, Nadia.
Doesn't waste any time and keeps you engaged initially
Starting with the aspects that work, CHB cuts right to the chase from episode one, keeping the characters—and us—on our toes. The story switches between 1992 and 2000, and the makers firmly root the tale in this time frame through cinematography and careful world-building. From the get-go, you know what's in store: a globetrotting adventure, twists, deception, lies, ripe backstories, and open secrets.
Miles ahead of 'Citadel'
Unlike Citadel, which, after the first two episodes, became a chore because of its monotony and predictability, CHB has enough meat. When you first meet Honey-Bunny, you instantly want to learn more about them, their backstories, and how they became who they are. Not the kind of show you can simply play in the background, it demands your full, rapt attention.
Ruth Prabhu proves her mettle in action scenes
Largely well-cast Ruth Prabhu and Dhawan carry the show on their shoulders, though the former steals most of the spotlight. She once again slips into the fierce action avatar we saw in The Family Man, and holds her own in this largely male-dominated cast where her character also battles subtle sexism. Dhawan shines in the comedic elements initially but falters in emotionally intense ones.
Kay Kay Menon, Sikander Kher, among others, shine throughout
All the actors play to their strengths, making the most out of the respective screentime. Kay Kay Menon, as the secret agency's head, effortlessly slips into this tailor-made role, and the screen crackles with his energy and artistic fire. Sikander Kher, Saqib Saleem, Parmeet Sethi, and Shashank Vyas lend support, and little can go wrong in the acting department with such a stacked cast.
Nadia is a crucial part of the story, too
When we meet Nadia, we instantly relate her character to Chopra's in Citadel, and it's evident how she's a spy-in-the-making. Resolute, determined, and courageous, you can see the adult Nadia in her. Indian filmmakers, however, have a habit of underlining kids' smartness by having them call their parents by their first name (Nadia is guilty of it too). A complete misfire, it never works.
Negatives: Becomes tedious and weary after a point
Despite these merits, CHB doesn't completely qualify as an excellent, pacy, sharp series, and the chinks in its armor begin to show once you look close enough. The trademark Raj-DK zing, humor, and wit are conspicuously absent (as it was from Guns & Gulaabs), and you always get the sense that despite all ingredients of success, something is tragically amiss in Citadel: Honey Bunny.
The timelines will confuse you
CHB might be much better than its American counterpart, but not unsurprisingly, it also shares similar problems. The constant back-and-forth makes it difficult to fathom what's happening in some scenes, and the extreme darkness in a few sequences doesn't help its cause either. Worse, some dialogues sound like they were written in English and then translated to Hindi—infamously the same problem that devoured Brahmastra.
Emotional beats do not land
Despite the high-stakes missions, and do-or-die situations, we never connect emotionally with any character, and when Honey-Bunny finally meet after eight years, we never feel their agony, their pain. Like Citadel, CHB thinks its twists will pull the rug from under our feet, but that's never the case. We go through six episodes looking for the show's beating hurt, but alas, never find it.
'Citadel: Honey Bunny' is a mixed bag; 2.5/5 stars
Citadel: Honey Bunny has impressively mounted and stylized action, a cast that offers little room to complain, and the scope to further expand into a multiseason show. However, it doesn't mine its potential well, ending up as a run-of-the-mill story that are a dime a dozen on Indian OTT. If anything, it reiterates why The Family Man remains Raj-DK's most seminal OTT work ever.
