In Citadel Honey Bunny, we were promised the best of both worlds - the Russo Brothers' impeccable world-building combined with Raj & DK's irreverent, fourth-wall-breaking humour. And, of course, a ton of action. The Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan-starrer delivers all this. But forgets a cohesive, engaging plot in the process. The end result is a series that sizzles only to go cold so often that the viewer loses count.
The plot
Set in two timelines - 1992 and 2000 - Citadel: Honey Bunny is a sequel to Russo Brothers' Citadel, which starred Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden. Honey Bunny tells the story of Nadia's (Priyanka in Citadel and Kashvi Majmundar here) parents - Rahi Gambhir, aka Honey (Varun) and Hanimandakini, aka Honey (Samantha). Bunny is a stunt performer in Bollywood films, who moonlights as a secret agent for a mysterious man he calls Baba (Kay Kay Menon turning sinister again). Honey is a struggling actress who joins Bunny's team for a quick buck. As she becomes an agent herself, Honey must decide whether the people she and Bunny are working for are the good guys. In the parallel timeline in 2000, Honey, now a single mom to Nadia, is on the run from mysterious assassins, as Bunny tries to get to her before the killers do. How the story unravels tells the real story of the genesis of Citadel.
To say that Honey Bunny is slick, stylish, and well-packaged is a massive understatement. It is one of the most polished web shows made in India. The Russo imprint on it is quite apparent. Raj and DK do well to tell a story in someone else's universe for a change. The characters of Honey and Bunny are written well. The backstory is fleshed out enough without dragging. It takes us inside their world immediately. But beyond that, the show becomes sluggish and predictable.
The story progresses in a very expected manner. The twists and turns are predictable, some you could see from two episodes away. When they eventually arrive, you wonder why the characters are so shocked. Raj and DK attempt to infuse their brand of humour in the show—through a cameo from 'farzi actor' Bhuvan Arora, among other things—but those get just a few chuckles, like toppings on an otherwise not-so-fresh pizza. It tastes good, but beneath that savoury goodness is a bland foundation.
Slick but not surprising
The action takes the cake here. It is slick, visually stunning, visceral, and yet believable. You feel each punch, and some of the action choreography forces you to rewind, rewatch, and then mutter some appreciation. The use of guns and how the characters make them their own is impressive. Action directors Yannick Ben, Aejaz Gulab, and Dian Hristov deserve full marks for that. Aman Pant's score, particularly the theme music, is also immersive, adding to the show's appeal.
Citadel: Honey Bunny rests on its lead pair's shoulders. Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu do well in inhabiting these characters. Samantha, in particular, is believable as the vulnerable yet tough-as-nails Honey. Her no-nonsense attitude spills onto the screen. The way she executes some of the heavy-duty action scenes is commendable. Varun may start out as the weaker of the two but makes up for it as the show progresses.
In all honesty, the lead pair's performances are nothing to write home about. But they make their characters believable, despite little help from the script. Among the supporting cast, Shivankit Singh Parihar is one bright spot. His leap from TVF to the big leagues is a successful one, and he looks at home here. Kay Kay Menon is splendid, as usual. Despite the role being written in a morally grey zone, Raj & DK somehow manage to present him as a stereotypical villain. This was a chance to have a bad guy you could root for, but the makers - clearly in awe of Kay Kay's villainy - again present him as the big bad, which is disappointing.
Honey Bunny is definitely better than its parent show, Citadel, which was below average if we are being kind to it. The spinoff does better to navigate two timelines and give us characters we can get behind. But it replicates the same mistake of giving us a poorly written plot embellished by lots of action and glitz. It may be better than Citadel but Honey Bunny falls short of the lofty standards Raj & DK have set for themselves. And that is where the show falters.
Citadel: Honey Bunny is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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