Citadel:
Honey
Bunny
is
a
decent
watch
with
an
average
story,
sharp
stunts
and
brilliant
music,
observes
Divya
Nair.
“Is
Varun
Dhawan
really
naked
in
Citadel:
Honey
Bunny?”
a
friend,
who
has
zero
interest
in
spy
movies,
curiously
asked
about
Raj
and
DK’s
latest
spy
series
that
dropped
on
Amazon
Prime
Video.
After
spending
about
six
hours
watching
the
series,
I
felt
a
bit
betrayed.
To
begin
with,
the
much-discussed
scene
featuring
Dhawan
doesn’t
even
last
a
micro-second
and
added
no
value
to
his
character
or
importance
to
the
story.
The
first
episode
raised
hopes
—
probably
even
enticing
for
those
who
don’t
have
an
Amazon
Prime
subscription
and
may
want
to
buy
one
—
that
there
is
something
promising
about
the
story
of
two
spy
agents.
Bonus
tip:
Varun
Dhawan’s
scene
is
intelligently
planted
in
the
first
episode.
Although
the
recent
version
of
Citadel
is
meant
to
be
about
agents
Honey
and
Bunny
(Samantha
and
Varun),
frankly,
the
most
interesting
character
was
Nadia,
the
eight
year
old
played
by
Kashvi
Majumder.
Her
cute
confidence
and
effortless
performance
reminded
me
of
Swini
Khara’s
Sexy
in
Cheeni
Kum.
Co-written
by
Sita
R
Menon,
Citadel’s
story
flexes
between
past
and
present.
It
indulges
too
much
in
mundaneness
and
ends
up
as
too
predictable.
While
revisiting
the
’90s
and
early
2000
may
have
seemed
a
good
idea
and
gives
some
of
us
a
nostalgic
kick,
if
you
look
at
the
bigger
picture,
it
also
kind
of
limits
your
imagination
—
the
idea
of
bugging
telephone
lines
and
exchanging
data
over
CDs
—
seems
too
ancient
for
a
generation
that
will
never
understand
what
a
floppy
disk
was.
Unlike
other
parent
series,
Citadel:
Honey
Bunny
revels
in
its
individuality
and
introduces
a
host
of
characters
who
build
up
the
mystery
and
help
connect
the
dots.
Varun
as
usual
is
best
in
the
intimate
scenes
featuring
him
and
Sam
as
well
as
the
stunt
sequences.
I
wish
I
could
say
the
same
about
his
emotional
scenes.
The
season
features
formidable
actors
Samantha
and
Simran.
Samantha
gets
a
meaty
role
where
she
punches
and
fires
like
a
swift,
leaping
tigress,
while
Simran
ends
up
with
a
fancy
title
as
Citadel
director
Zooni.
There
is
also
Kay
Kay
Menon
—
trying
to
play
the
cool,
manipulating
villain
Baba
aka
Vishwa
—
whose
mission
to
retrieve
the
Armada
(a
secret
tech
weapon),
which
is
supposed
to
drive
the
purpose
of
the
film.
Sadly
enough,
the
character
fails
to
get
the
love
it
required
when
the
makers
were
sketching
it,
and
ends
up
like
the
burnt
chicken
lollipops
he
offers
his
trainees,
which
they
have
no
option
but
to
accept
without
complaining.
Sikander
Kher
and
Saqib
Saleem
as
Shaan
and
KD
are
wasted
as
mere
extras
in
the
supporting
cast,
though
Saqib
delivers
his
role
far
more
convincingly
and
rightfully
deserves
a
plush
role
in
the
sequel,
if
at
all
there
is
one.
We
have
seen
Kher
play
the
wingman
better
in
Aarya,
so
this
one
looks
like
a
repeat
performance.
For
a
spy
series,
the
stunt
sequences
are
sharp
and
gutsy,
and
the
screenplay
felt
like
I
was
watching
an
immersive
3D
game.
The
amount
of
punches
Samantha
receives
and
resists,
she
makes
it
seem
so
real
that
you
end
up
applauding
her
growth
and
preparation
for
the
role.
This
is
not
the
same
Samantha
who
started
her
career
playing
the
coy
heroine.
And
that
dialogue
about
‘working
twice
as
hard
as
men’
girl,
you
executed
with
conviction.
Even
with
half
a
dozen
actors
who
are
taller
and
bulkier
in
frame,
Samantha
packs
a
wallop.
The
girl’s
here
to
slay!
Despite
its
predictability,
what
makes
the
series
enticing
is
the
background
score.
The
music
team
of
Sachin-Jigar,
Fiddlecraft,
When
Chai
Met
Toast,
Outfly
including
Composer
Aman
Pant
and
Alex
Belcher
know
how
to
keep
the
music
edgy
and
engaging
to
the
situations.
Citadel:
Honey
Bunny
is
a
decent
watch
with
an
average
story,
sharp
stunts,
brilliant
music
and
offers
a
cute
distraction
in
the
form
of
Kashvi
Majumdar.
