Samantha Promises Fun With Single Mom-Spy Act In ‘Citadel Honey Bunny’

Samantha in a still from her upcoming web series 'Citadel Hone Bunny'.

A woman, a spy, a mom to a spy! That is Indian star Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s character in the second series originating from Russo Brothers’ global spy-action series, Citadel. The trailer of Amazon Prime Video India original Citadel: Honey Bunny released just days after the Italian Citadel series, Citadel: Diana, landed online. Samantha features in the upcoming show directed by Raj and DK opposite Varun Dhawan. It is slated for a November 7 premiere online.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu in a still from Raj and DK's 'Citadel Honey Bunny'.

Directed by Raj and DK (The Family Man, Farzi), Citadel: Honey Bunny tells the story of spies Honey (Samantha) and Bunny (Dhawan) who are also parents to agent Nadia Sinh (Kashvi Majmundar). While it is not specified in the trailer, it is easy to connect Priyanka Chopra’s lead character Nadia Sinh (in Citadel) to the young Nadia in the upcoming show.

Sam’s portrayal of the role in the trailer is restrained and suits the situation at hand. Right after a few shots from an action piece, we get to see the calm and composed mom that Honey is. She hands headphones to her young daughter before heading out to deal with the ‘bad men’. Next, we get a fun conversation of the mom-daughter as Honey decides to tell the young one that she is an agent. The daughter, Nadia, goes ‘like James Bond?’ and Honey aka Samantha can only nod with a smile. Beyond this equation, not much stands out in the trailer, except for the high-octane, high-budget action. There are glimpses of a tense equation Dhawan’s Bunny may share with his onscreen father, but all that, and the entire world of villains in this universe are yet to be seen.

Watch the trailer here

In a press release, executive producer Joe Russo explains how they are all part of the same world they first created with Priyanka Chopra-led Citadel in April 2023. “We arrived at this concept of a global spy agency, Citadel, that has members across the planet and an agenda to protect people around the globe and a rival spy agency, Manticore, which opposes that. That way, everybody around the planet is equally invested in the stakes of what Citadel is fighting for. Each series takes you to a different part of the story of Citadel, linking them through characters or shared history and contributing to the overall global story.” Anthony Russo adds that they love how the narrative can connect people from every corner of the globe in a shared experience.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Heads of State, Citadel S2, poses during the Prime Video Presents ... [+] Trailblazers, in London, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Set in the UK, Citadel landed online last year and featured Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra as the lead, spy couple. The second season of the show is currently under production. “We worked in symbiosis, so season one of Citadel informed some of the stories in Italy and India, and stories that Gina, Raj, and DK wanted to tell helped inform the upcoming season two of Citadel,” Joe Russo informs.

Show writer Sita Menon talks about the “ingénue Honey of the nineties” in a press release. Menon says Honey comes from a broken family, but is wide-eyed about experiencing the world and is looking for excitement and adrenaline.

“From there, you go to Honey in the 2000s - the single mother who is the sum of all her experiences that she’s been through. A single mother who is terribly afraid for her child, who lived the last eight years training her child to be stoic. She uses this phrase: ‘emotions weaken you’. She has trained the child to be survivalist. That’s basically the difference. But at the end, both of them (young and old versions of Honey) are desperately wanting to belong, to have a sense of security.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: (L to R) Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Priyanka Chopra and Matilda de ... [+] Angelis attend Prime Video’s special celebration for “Citadel: Diana” and “Citadel: Honey Bunny” at Fitz’s on September 24, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Samantha focuses on the action that she gets to do in the upcoming show. She admits that hand-to-hand combats and international-level stunts majorly drew her to Citadel: Honey Bunny. "The challenges and efforts required to bring Honey to life have left a profound impact on me, both professionally and personally, making it one of the most significant roles of my career,” she concludes.