Produced by the Russo brothers and directed by Raj and DK, Citadel: Honey Bunny expands the scope of the Citadel spy universe, taking us to India in a prequel that tells the story of a young Nadia’s parents. We follow Honey (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), an aspiring actress, and Bunny (Varun Dhawan), a film stuntman, as they navigate a world of secrets and betrayals. As their violent past catches up with them, they must do everything they can to protect their daughter.

Honey Bunny is more of a love story than a series about spycraft. It could also be described as a series about parenting. Honey does a wonderful job of raising her daughter single-handedly. Nadia is fearless, just like her namesake—the famous Fearless Nadia of ’30s stunt films. She’s fluent in three languages, well-versed in karate, and calm and controlled in situations that would give an adult a headache. Kashvi Majumdar, portraying Nadia, adds a layer of credibility to the series. Unlike many child actors who can seem unconvincing when asked to play characters beyond their years, Kashvi brings a maturity and charm to Nadia that feels entirely natural. Her portrayal of the character’s confidence, especially as she gradually learns about the complex world her parents inhabit, is effortlessly convincing. Her scenes with Samantha Ruth Prabhu are a joy to watch, and we wish there were more moments of Kashvi and Varun Dhawan together—sadly, these occur only in the sixth and final episode of season one. As mentioned earlier, it’s a love story framed within the ever-shifting dynamics of the spy world. The romance between Honey and Bunny, which should have served as the emotional anchor for the series, is, unfortunately, underdeveloped. The lack of depth in their relationship makes it difficult to care about their struggles on a deeper level.

Baba (Kay Kay Menon) plays mentor to both Bunny and KD (Saqib Saleem) as well as other orphaned children. He runs a semi-military organisation with a global reach—though it is unclear who is funding him or what his motivations are. Until a certain point in the series, we aren’t sure of its morals. Then there’s another organisation, run by Zooni (Simran), which supposedly counters their moves. However, the mystery soon fizzles out due to an over-reliance on tired spy tropes, making everything feel achingly predictable. Much better writing was expected from Raj, DK, and their team, who were so successful with The Family Man—a similar product where an agent tries to live a normal life when not hunting criminals. And what’s with the low lighting, which neither does justice to the proceedings nor to the good-looking cast? Thankfully, the action is top-class. It might be better to watch it at 2x speed and then slow it down to normal during the action scenes. The sequence where Bunny and a colleague decimate an entire army unit is slick as hell, Honey’s one-on-one fights are choreographed well, and the climax, where Honey and Bunny face off against wave after wave of enemy soldiers, is the real highlight of the series.

While the plot fails to inject anything particularly fresh or exciting into the spy genre, the actors succeed in making the story watchable. Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan deliver compelling performances, displaying great chemistry that helps carry the show through its more uninspired moments. Samantha, in particular, brings both vulnerability and strength to her role as Honey, while Varun navigates the character of Bunny with an emotional undercurrent. Kay Kay Menon delivers a standout performance as the antagonist. Known for his ability to bring nuance to complex characters, his portrayal here is no different. His performance is one of the few aspects of the series that feels carefully crafted. Saqib Saleem comes into his own in the last episode, while Sikander Kher makes his presence felt as the good soldier. Simran, unfortunately, is vastly underutilised.

Ultimately, Citadel: Honey Bunny feels like a missed opportunity. Despite the potential for an exciting and original addition to the Citadel franchise, the series gets bogged down by tired spy tropes and a lack of an innovative narrative. The cast does its best to elevate the material, but it’s hard to overcome a script that never quite rises to the occasion. The nonlinear storytelling doesn’t help either. Watch it for its creatively shot action sequences and for the chemistry between Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan, as well as the performances from Kashvi and Kay Kay. The series is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.