Forged: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Mazumdar, Kay Kay Menon, Saqib Salim, Shivankit Singh Parihar & others
Creator: Russo Brothers
Director: Raj & DK
Streaming On: Prime Video
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 6 episodes of fifty minutes each
Citadel Honey Bunny Review: What’s It About:
It was in 2023 that Priyanka Chopra arrived as Nadia Singh within the Russo Brothers’ Citadel. The story was based in 2023 and was a couple of spy. Nonetheless, it was not well-received due to its shoddy screenplay, but that didn’t let the producers hesitate to drop a spin-off – the Italian version, which was based within the yr 2030.
Now the Indian chapter arrives as a prequel to the 2023 version that starred Priyanka Chopra, with Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu playing parents to Priyanka Chopra’s Diana and weaving a story that narrates the origin of Citadel. Principally, what it’s, and the way did the agency weave its Spy world!
Does the story construct up an intrigue to carry and captivate one as an audience for six long episodes to seek out the roots of this Spyverse created by the Russo brothers? TBH, No! But does this version of this Spyverse supersede the opposite two versions? Definitely Yes! Read on to learn our entire review and why Citadel fails in parts but majorly works in its entirety!
Citadel Honey Bunny Review: Script Evaluation:
The world of Citadel: Honey Bunny presents Varun Dhawan as a spy working for an agency run by Kay Kay Menon. He incorporates Samantha on this mission that goals to fight against one other Mission run by one other agency, and after a really long wait, you discover who’s working on the precise side and who’s on the mistaken side!
There comes a degree when Samantha asks, ‘Tum log karte kya ho? Tum log acche log ho ya bure log?’ and Varun replies, “It’s not that straightforward.” Citadel, truthfully, summarizes your complete episode on this one dialogue. It needs your patience and trust. That you must give it time while it builds its world, one scene at a time. It introduces all its characters very lethargically – from Kay Kay Menon to Sikandar Kher to Saqib Salim!
Citadel Honey Bunny Review: Star Performance:
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is the sun of this whole web series. She shines vibrant, giving life to every character on this Universe. Her act and transformation from a coy, wannabe, struggling actress right into a fierce, courageous, and robust spy kicking her way out of a large number with more fierce punches is a treat to observe on-screen. She gets higher with each act sequence and surprises along with her finesse and the way easily she shifts gears. Raj & DK do an excellent job characterizing Honey as a South Indian, justifying that accent to each bit!
Varun Dhawan is the moon of this series, the one bringing warmth and tranquility amidst all of the chaos. His act because the young Bunny working as a suave spy within the 90s impresses, while his transformation as a mature independent officer, looking for his daughter and lost soulmate (Honey) within the 2000s, forms your complete crux of this web series. Varun’s maturity as an intelligent father on a search mission is impressive and applaudable.
Nonetheless, the core of this Universe is little Kashvi Majumdar, who plays Nadia, the young Priyanka Chopra on this web series. The kid is a miracle on screen. She is convincing because the sharp child who knows all of it while she is on an escape mission along with her mother to keep up distance from the violent world as much as possible!
Citadel Honey Bunny Review: What Works:
Fundamental Cassatta Ice Cream Nahi Khaata…Citadel: Honey Bunny actually starts at this point and grabs you in after waiting for a complete long episode as Raj & DK wear their Superman gloves and weave the visual magic they sometimes weave. A Cassatta ice cream is lying on the bottom with splashes of blood over it, and Varun Dhawan narrates his entire back story in a really rapid form to Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
And Citadel begins right at this point. Before that, it’s literally a snoozefest for a complete episode; nevertheless, while I used to be literally asleep through the primary episode, I woke up with Samantha kicking her first legit kick in such a kickass manner that something kicked, and I used to be all in for this story rooting for this woman who plays Bunny – a South Indian struggling actress who’s dragged by Honey into his spy world for a mission, a mission that may actually unveil what Citadel is and the way did it began!
The motion sequences work brilliantly in favor of this web series for being as real as they might have been minus any grandeur, any exploding cars, flying people, flying cars, dilapidating buildings, and more. Varun, Samantha and even the little Kashvi, who just slip into these motion sequences moonwalking!
Citadel Honey Bunny Review: What Doesn’t Work:
Citadel: Honey Bunny works despite a shoddy screenplay by Sita Menon together with Raj & DK. The key shortcoming of this web series comes when it becomes a slurry of a number of Indian spyverse, including Salman Khan’s Tigerverse in parts and Raj & DK’s own The Family Man. What might have been an excellent spy story entirely focused on the roots and existence of Citadel, and its backstory starts oscillating between the love story of a spy – Samantha, on this case.
One other drawback comes with the oscillating timeline between 1992 and 2000. While the excellence between the 2 timelines could be very specific, linear storytelling could have complemented this premise more. Somewhere your complete story keeps losing its charm each time it oscillates between 1992 and 2000! Even after 4 episodes, you can’t determine who’s the nice guy and who’s the bad guy. Who’s the enemy on this whole Universe? Everyone seems to be fighting to stop Project Talwar, but why and the way is an issue nobody is willing to reply. There’s at all times a conversation between the nice and the bad, right and mistaken, but we never see the 2 sides very distinctly at any point. There’s a mission, but we never get to see what it’s!
Samantha’s Honey in a scene tells Varun Dhawan, “Mere liye good and bad bahut easy hai,” to which he replies, “Sikka yahi, sakki palat, kisi ka sahi, kisi ka galat! Aap apne hisaab se sahi kaam kar rahe ho, aapko bus yahi dekhna hota hai.” Nonetheless, the writers, take this mantra too seriously since every author or creator is working ‘apne hisaab se’ with not one of the thoughts connecting or the dots joining for the longest time!
Citadel Honey Bunny Review: Last Words:
Wo Hero Hi Kya Jo Heroine Ko Bachaye Bina Mar Jaaye, claims Varun Dhawan in a scene from the online series. The climax must have promised heroic hype, but every little thing just fizzles with nothing happening within the climax, turning the story again right into a snoozefest.
Life mein direction bahut powerful cheez hoti hai, says Varun Dhawan’s character at one point. But Raj & DK forgot that web series mein story bahut powerful cheez hoti hai and Citadel falls flat on that front. But still, it’s one of the best that has been offered out of the three web series and definitely deserves a look ahead to Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu & Kashvi Mazumdar, who’re holding the fort very strongly despite a shaky storyline!
3.5 stars!
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