Citadel Honey Bunny Review
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Release Date: November 7, 2024
Director: Raj Nidimoru, Krishna DK (Raj & DK)
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kay Kay Menon, Sikander Kher, Saqib Saleem, Kashvi Majmundar
Set in the 90s, Rahi, aka Bunny (Varun Dhawan), works as a stuntman in Hindi movies. While his career is thriving, he has another source of income: working as a secret agent. Meanwhile, Honey (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) is an aspiring actress. However, life takes an unexpected turn, and she also ends up becoming a spy alongside Rahi. As expected, the two fall in love, but their romance becomes a significant obstacle during a critical mission, ultimately altering the trajectory of both their love story and the show's premise.
The Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu starrer kicks off with high energy, introducing Honey as a single mother to a 7-year-old daughter, Nadia. The mystery of what happened between her and Rahi keeps you intrigued. The show builds a vibrant world around Honey and Bunny's romance, thrills, and action as they work for Baba, creating a promising start. Although Rahi and Honey aren't directly part of Citadel, standing against such a powerful entity is a bold move (though we're still left questioning what exactly Citadel represents). At its core, the show is a love story, and whenever Honey and Bunny share the screen, sparks fly. Both Varun and Samantha deliver commendable performances.
Much like Guns & Gulaabs, this Prime Video series is filled with Bollywood references. However, as in that series, the references sometimes fall short of their intended impact.
The mission that tragically changes everything for the protagonists lacks excitement. Even after four episodes, we're left waiting for that standout moment to blow us away, but it never quite comes until the final episode. And just when that "whoa" moment arrives, the show ends on a cliffhanger. This focus on cliffhangers over providing clear answers is an issue with many series today. Despite a large cast, no single supporting character stands out, not even an actor as talented as Kay Kay Menon. This was also a problem in Citadel with Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden; the premise and characters fail to create any compelling intrigue, including the protagonists.
Overall, Citadel Honey Bunny has a great start and promises you a captivating world, until it starts getting dull. Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu deliver good performances, but that's not enough to keep you on the edge. A thrilling suspense in a tightly wrapped story with better character arcs would've made it an enjoyable watch for sure.
