Citadel: Honey Bunny is an Indian Hindi-language spy action television series directed by Raj & DK, who co-wrote with Sita R. Menon. It is the spin-off/prequel to the American television series Citadel on Amazon Prime Video and revolves around the story of Honey and Bunny, who are the parents of the character Nadia Sinh (played by Priyanka Chopra in the original series). The series stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the title characters with Kay Kay Menon, Simran, Sikandar Kher, Saqib Saleem, Soham Majumdar, Shivankit Singh Parihar and Thalaivaasal Vijay in supporting roles.[1]
| Citadel: Honey Bunny | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Genre | |
| Developed by | Sita R. Menon |
| Written by | Sita R. Menon Raj & DK Dialogues: Sumit Arora |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Sachin-Jigar Fiddlecraft When Chai Met Toast Outfly |
| Composers | Aman Pant Alex Belcher |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editor | Sumeet Kotian |
| Running time | 42–54 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | 6 November 2024 – present |
| Related | |
| Citadel Citadel: Diana (Italy) | |
Citadel: Honey Bunny was released on 6 November 2024.[2]
Plot
edit1992: Rahi "Bunny" Gambhir works as a stunt double in Bollywood, but leads a secret life as a spy for Guru alias "Baba". Bunny’s team consists of Chacko and Ludo, who are like family to him. One day, Bunny meets Hanimandakini Honey Raj, a struggling actress and the illegitimate daughter of a royal family in Andhra Pradesh. They start to get close and he eventually asks her to join him on a mission. Honey agrees, but things go wrong when they are intercepted by Citadel agents, led by Shaan, and she gets shot. Honey recovers at Bunny's place and he reveals his background and secret life as a spy to her. They fall in love and Honey decides to become an agent, where Bunny trains her and eventually lets her join the team.
Their next mission takes them to Belgrade to track down Dr. Raghu Rao, who is supposed to be there to buy a device called Armada, from Dr. Pavel. Armada is a high-tech gadget that can track important individuals and is valuable in arms dealing. Honey then finds out she is pregnant and discovers that Raghu is an innocent civilian. Bunny promises her that Raghu will not be harmed, but Baba orders him to kill him anyway. Devastated by this, Honey leaks Baba’s location to Citadel and has him arrested. Honey reveals her pregnancy to Bunny and escapes with the Armada. However, Kedar KD, a new recruit, attacks Honey’s car, seemingly killing her. Bunny is fired from the agency.
2000: Honey has survived and is now living in hiding with her daughter Nadia, in Nainital. Baba's new agents eventually track them down to retrieve the Armada. Bunny, who now works as a singer in Bucharest, finds out that Honey and his daughter are still alive through a secured online chat with Ludo. Bunny reunites with Chacko and they start looking for Honey. KD is sent to hunt Honey down, but Bunny intercepts him at Base 33 and kills his team, alerting Baba. Honey takes Nadia to the ancestral palace in Andhra Pradesh where she was born and grew up and tells her about her past.
Bunny, Chacko, and Ludo locate a Citadel base in Mumbai and track Honey’s whereabouts. They discover that Zooni Shatsang, the Director of Citadel India, has been working with Baba and even helped him escape from Citadel's custody in 1999, as he was her husband, Rinzy's best friend and ex-Citadel agent. Honey passes this information to Shaan, a colleague of Zooni, who arrests her. Meanwhile, Bunny goes to Baba and destroys the Armada in front of him, threatening him not to harm his family.
Honey and Bunny regroup at her ancestral palace, but KD and his team successfully track and attack them, ignoring Baba’s orders not to attack them; KD continues the assault. The palace is left in ruins, but Honey, Bunny, and Nadia narrowly escape. They are ambushed again by KD and Bunny lets Honey and Nadia escape, while he stays behind to face him. In a final showdown, they shoot each other, but survive; Bunny convinces KD to see how Baba has been manipulating young recruits like them all along. More agents arrive to capture Bunny and Honey, but Bunny stands ready to fight back.
Cast
editMain Characters
edit- Varun Dhawan as Raahi "Bunny" Gambhir, Honey's lover and Nadia's father
- Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Hanimandakini "Honey" Raj, Bunny's lover and Nadia's mother / "Noorie" / "Maadhavi Kumar"
- Kashvi Majmundar as Nadia, daughter of Bunny and Honey
- Kay Kay Menon as Guru alias "Vishwa"
- Sikandar Kher as Shaan
- Saqib Saleem as Kedar "KD"
- Simran Bagga as Zooni Shatsang alias "Eagle", Director of Citadel India and Guru's past friend
- Soham Majumdar as Ludo
- Shivankit Singh Parihar as Chacko
Supporting Roles
edit- Bhuvan Arora as Honey's actor friend
- Shashank Vyas as Vivek, Owner of a Bakery and Honey's friend
- Mohit R. Thakur as Jagan; Rahi, Chacko, and Ludo's friend
- Armaan Khera as Nakul
- Vikrant Koul as Agent Vinod
- Raimundo Querido as Jaby
- Michael Teh as Mr. Jiming
- Supurna Malakar as Leena, Chacko's wife
- Shilpi Arora as Guru's Wife (Ep 1)
- Thalaivaasal Vijay as Dr. Raghu Rao (Ep 2-3)
Honey's Family
edit- Ajith Koshy as Seshadri Raj, Narasimharaja's brother and Honey's uncle
- Yash Puri as Pratapa Rudra Raj, Honey's half-brother
- Mukhtar Khan as Raja Narasimharaja Pratap, Honey and Pratapa's father
- Shruthi Narayanan as Nanjamani, Honey's mother (Ep 2)
- Hardika Sharma as Child Hanimandakini/Savitri "Honey" Raj (Ep 2)
- Arush as Child Pratapa Rudra Raj, Honey's half-brother (Ep 2)
- Kamtam Kiran Kumar as Honey's Husband
Bunny's Family
edit- Jihan Jeetendra Hodar as Kid Rahi "Bunny" Gambhir (Ep 2)
- Juhi Arora as Rahi "Bunny" Gambhir 's Mother (Ep 2)
Other Roles
edit- Aejaz Gulab as Stunt Master (Ep 1)
- Raksha Kumawat as Apartment Girl 1 (Ep 1)
- Shiva Rindani as the Film Director (Ep 1)
- Praveen Nithariya as Casting Director Amar (Ep 1)
- Izudin Bajrovic as Dr. Pavel, Dr. Raghu's friend and colleague
- Statsa Nikolic as Sofia, a girl Bunny met in the bar
- Parmeet Sethi as David D'Souza, Disc Keeper (Epi 1)
- Ajith Koshy as Guard Seshadri (Ep 2)
Episodes
edit| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 6 November 2024 | ||
Season 1 (2024)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Length (Minutes) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dancing and Fighting" | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. | Sita R. Menon Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Dialogues: Sumit Arora | 6 November 2024 | 52 Minutes | |
|
1992: Bunny, a stuntman in films, recruits struggling actor Honey for a side gig which endangers her life. 2000: Single mother Honey and her daughter Nadia’s idyllic life is shattered when Honey’s past catches up. And the estranged Bunny finds a truth that shakes up his life! | ||||||
| 2 | "Talwar" | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. | Sita R. Menon Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Dialogues: Sumit Arora | 6 November 2024 | 55 Minutes | |
|
1992: Guru’s agency makes inroads into their enemy’s Project Talwar. As romance blossoms between Honey and Bunny, she entrenches herself in the agency, despite Guru’s skepticism. 2000: Bunny reunites with Chacko to look for the estranged Honey and Nadia, who are on the run from their assailants. | ||||||
| 3 | "Spy Game" | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. | Sita R. Menon Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Dialogues: Sumit Arora | 6 November 2024 | 47 Minutes | |
|
1992: Bunny and Honey embark on the agency’s most important mission in Belgrade. Honey makes a shocking discovery. 2000: Bunny narrowly misses Honey and Nadia. Fearing the worst and left with no choice, he and Chacko turn to their old buddy Ludo for help. | ||||||
| 4 | "Home" | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. | Sita R. Menon Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Dialogues: Sumit Arora | 6 November 2024 | 52 Minutes | |
|
1992: Honey struggles to balance her personal feelings and love for Bunny with her duty to the mission, facing a profound inner conflict. 2000: Honey encounters a similar dilemma when she must decide whether to seek refuge in her childhood home, the place she once despised. Meanwhile, Bunny makes an important breakthrough about Guru and his motives! | ||||||
| 5 | "Traitor" | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. | Sita R. Menon Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Dialogues: Sumit Arora | 6 November 2024 | 43 Minutes | |
|
1992: Honey’s world is turned upside down when she discovers the agency she once trusted is not who they claim to be, forcing her to take a drastic step, risking everyone’s lives. 2000: Bunny plots Honey’s next step, as drastic as the one she took in the past. | ||||||
| 6 | "Play" | Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. | Sita R. Menon Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Dialogues: Sumit Arora | 6 November 2024 | 54 Minutes | |
|
2000: As things come to a head, Honey and Bunny join forces to unleash their full might, fighting for love, family, and their daughter's future. As KD decides to take matters into his own hands, the ensuing battle tests their resilience, leaving the future uncertain. | ||||||
Production
editDevelopment
editIn December 2022, Anthony and Joe Russo announced the Indian spin-off of Citadel.[3]
Casting
editVarun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu play the lead cast in the series as Bunny and Honey.[4]
Filming
editFilming of the series began in January 2023.[5] The series was shot in Serbia and India.[6] Filming wrapped on 13 July 2023.[7]
Soundtrack
edit| Citadel: Honey Bunny | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Sachin-Jigar, Fiddlecraft, When Chai Met Toast, Outfly, Aman Pant and Alex Belcher | |
| Released | 5 November 2024[8] |
| Recorded | 2023–2024 |
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack |
| Length | 29:51 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Label | T-Series |
| Official audio | |
| Citadel: Honey Bunny (Audio Jukebox) on YouTube | |
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Honey Bunny" | Priya Saraiya | Sachin-Jigar | Sachin–Jigar, Ash King, Shubham Kabra, Shruti Dhasmana | 3:03 |
| 2. | "Yeh Safar" | Priya Saraiya | Sachin-Jigar | Sachin-Jigar, Shilpa Rao, Osho Jain | 2:55 |
| 3. | "Tufaan" | Fiddlecraft | Fiddlecraft | Fiddlecraft | 2:46 |
| 4. | "Blue Skies" | When Chai Met Toast, Siddhant Kaushal | When Chai Met Toast | When Chai Met Toast | 2:11 |
| 5. | "Rihaa" | Akshay Poojary | Outfly | Gravity | 2:44 |
| 6. | "Ghum Hain Kahin" | Ramil Ganjoo, Akhil Tiwari | Aman Pant | Papon | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Zaroori To Nahi" | Akhil Tiwari | Aman Pant | Kinjal Chatterjee | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Beast Mode" | Abin Thomas, Rob C, Pratika | Aman Pant | Rohan Pathak, Rob C, Pratika | 2:36 |
| 9. | "Title Theme" (Instrumental) | – | Aman Pant, Alex Belcher | – | 0:59 |
| 10. | "Zaroori To Nahi" (Live Version) | Akhil Tiwari | Aman Pant | Manoj Mishra | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 29:51 | ||||
Reception
editThis section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (November 2024) |
The series debuted to mixed reviews, with a rating of 6.6 on IMDb and 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave it 2 stars out of 5 with comments, "The series does not exactly go down in flames but neither does it have us holding our breath as its action set pieces explode on screen."
References
edit- ^ "OTT releases to watch this week: Citadel Honey Bunny, Vijay 69, The Buckingham Murders, Devara Part 1, and more".
- ^ "Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK drop photos with Citadel team, Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu; spark speculations about a teaser". Bollywood Hungama. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ White, Peter (20 December 2022). "'Citadel': Varun Dhawan To Star In Indian Series Set In Amazon Franchise". Deadline. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (19 March 2024). "Varun Dhawan, Samatha Ruth Prabhu's Indian Version of Russo Brothers Prime Video 'Citadel' Series Sets Title, Reveals Cast (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ "Russo Brothers announce Varun Dhawan as the lead of Citadel in India; shooting begins in January 2023 : Bollywood News - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Rajput, Priyanca (27 June 2023). "Varun Dhawan's debut series Citadel to shoot in Serbia for Prime Video". KFTV. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ Chowdhury, Madhumanti Pait (13 July 2023). "Samantha Ruth Prabhu Wraps Citadel : "The Family I Didn't Know I Needed"". NDTV. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Citadel: Honey Bunny (Amazon Original Series Soundtrack)". Spotify. Retrieved 5 November 2024.