Citadel: Honey Bunny review: The Indian chapter of this franchise is entertaining but severely lacks a plausible storyline

Developed by Sita R. Menon and the Russo Brothers and directed by Raj & DK, Citadel: Honey Bunny needs more than a star studded cast and easter eggs to become a franchise you'd want to be committed to.

A year after the international mothership series, Citadel was released, two spin-off series on this spy universe - Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny have been released a month apart. While Citadel: Diana is set in 2030, following two different timelines, 1992 and 2000, Citadel: Honey Bunny quickly delves into Honey, Bunny and their intertwined destiny that results in Nadia, their child and their past catching up to them. In itself, the plot of this prequel doesn't have much to keep you intrigued; chalk it down to the constant double crossing and unnecessary action. It's only when you begin to connect the dots between this one and Citadel (2023) that your interest is slightly piqued. You've heard right - Honey and Bunny's child grows up to be Nadia Sinh, a Citadel agent played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas in Citadel (2023) and this is her backstory as much as it is an introduction to what started it all. 

Also Read: Citadel Review: Prime Video brings you a brand new global spy network and Priyanka Chopra Jonas at her best in this action thriller series

Watch the trailer here!

This six-episode espionage has a talented star cast but doesn't know what to do with it. Varun Dhawan severely lacked feelings and hence wasn't believable as a human. Neither is Bunny convincing as an agent following orders nor as a father who met his daughter for the first time in 8 years! He only reminds me of a boy who is refusing to grow up. The scariest villains today are the ones who blend in with the crowd like Bob Biswas (Saswata Chatterjee) in Kahaani. And not being able to see them for who they are is what leaves us terrified. Kay Kay Menon had the perfect opportunity to be that with his character, Vishwa aka Baba, but he doesn't even come close. Citadel: Honey Bunny had the potential to be so much more had it just infused with the right amount of emotion and a decent screenplay. Baba's agents going rogue for personal gain and crossing each other just wasn't adding up when their motive wasn't hinted at or shown, leaving you with many questions you probably will never have answers to. Hopefully, the second season will clarify whether Baba was actually one of the founding members of Manticore, a syndicate that's introduced in Citadel, given how he casually hinted at it in this series.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu kicked ass as Honey. She pulled off 'living a double life all while prepping for shit to hit the roof' rather well! More so, Prabhu is able to pull you into her world that's created by Raj & DK! You believe her journey right from the time she lived like an outsider in her palace in Andhra Pradesh, her time with the Foundation and when she lived in Nainital with her daughter and ran a cafe. We're also finally getting to see women be the kind of agents who use more than their sexuality and throw more than a punch or two and just like Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Nadia in Citadel, Prabhu has done a spectacular job with the action sequences in this one. Would I have liked a lot more emotion from Prabhu during the 2000 timeline because her character called for it? Without a doubt!

The best part of this spy franchise's Indian chapter is Nadia (Kashvi Majmundar) who makes this six-episode series worth a watch; her ferocity coexisting with her innocence will reach you across the screen and tug at your heart a little. 

Citadel: Honey Bunny is currently streaming on Prime Video!

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