Citadel: Honey Bunny Review: The Indian Spinoff Lifts the Amazon Franchise

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The following contains spoilers for Citadel: Honey Bunny Season 1, Episode 1, "Fighting and Dancing," which premieres Thursday, Nov. 7 on Prime Video.

Citadel: Honey Bunny is an Indian-infused Bourne Identity. This exotic action-adventure bounces back and forth between Bucharest, Bombay, and Nainital, just a month after the release of Citadel: Diana. In an episode packed with slick and stylish sequences, audiences are swiftly introduced to Honey and Bunny (played by Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varan Dhawan), and the dynamic duo effortlessly delivers. Combining these icons of Indian cinema with the powerhouse combo of writer/director/producers Raj & DK, alongside Sita R. Menon, this Citadel spinoff hits the ground running.

Drawing on the best bits of blockbuster action movies, Citadel: Honey Bunny Season 1, Episode 1, "Fighting and Dancing" really comes together. There's a wide variety on offer -- from picturesque locations to precocious pre-teens to enormous henchmen ready to unleash hell on both Honey and Bunny. This globe-trotting adventure is one of the most enjoyable Prime Video debuts in years.

The original Citadel established a James Bond-style action-adventure template. But where that incarnation ultimately felt a touch hollow, Citadel: Honey Bunny provides some depth alongside the homage. A young and precocious version of Nadia Sinh -- the character played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the main series -- is introduced alongside Honey and quickly proves to be eloquent, resourceful, and self-aware. Channeling her best Dakota Fanning from Man on Fire, young star Kashvi Majmundar makes a formidable team with Prabhu. Prabhu's connection with Majmundar gives this episode an emotional center beyond its numerous action sequences.

In the 1990s flashbacks that reveal how Honey was haphazardly recruited into Citadel, Prabhu also gets to showcase her versatility. She plays both comedy and pathos with ease, while Dhawan mocks his own movie star image relentlessly. Captured in slow motion flying through the air firing guns on a film set, Bunny masquerades as a stuntperson to conceal his true profession. In those moments, Menon, Raj & DK illustrate their awareness of era-specific action movies, name-checking both The Terminator and Predator. This might be a touch heavy-handed, but it's on point as far as capturing the ‘90s zeitgeist of action heroes.

Bunny: Do you think I make all my money as a stuntman? I have a side hustle, too. It gets more money.

The writers show their love for cinema this side of the millennium as well, most notably with apparent hat tips to Ocean’s 11. The smash and grab ensemble of supporting players that surrounds Bunny when the duo try to steal sensitive information are priceless. In the same sequence, Honey comes into her own, playing a damsel in distress before doing some butt-kicking of her own. The on-screen chemistry between Prabhu and Dhawan turns anything on the page into action-packed poetry. Plot-wise, "Fighting and Dancing" does little more than lay the groundwork for the rest of Season 1 -- but Menon, Raj & DK do so with such self-assurance that audiences will have no choice but to strap themselves in for the ride.

Citadel: Honey Bunny star Samantha Ruth Prabhu and producers Sita R. Menon and Raj & DK join CBR to preview Prime Video's Citadel prequel.

Slick action sequences might appear to define this World of Citadel expasion, but genuine pathos punctuates its quieter moments. The relationship between Honey and Nadia's uncle Vivek (played by revered Indian actor Shashank Vyas) is fleeting but essential. The brief conversations he has with Nadia offer the writers moments to touch on Indian traditions that ground their hyper-reality in the here and now. A scene in which Nadia accuses Vivek of only telling sad stories allows Citadel: Honey Bunny to move away from its fast-paced elements and into something deeper that the original series was missing.

Vivek: You should know these stories, because [they] teach us about our culture and about our history.

The combination of character depth and the cinematic history makes the entire show fit together. Whether Menon, Raj & DK intended it or not, the Citadel: Honey Bunny premiere also owes a lot to Quentin Tarantino’s groundbreaking Pulp Fiction. That film was a mishmash of French New Wave and classic crime novels that played fast and loose with structure, dialogue, and character. Citadel: Honey Bunny has much more polish, but the bickering dynamic between the two title characters calls back to the one between Pulp Fiction's Ringo and Yolanda -- whom fans will remember was also known as "Honey Bunny."

Citadel: Honey Bunny likewise doesn't feel beholden to a particular format. The premiere makes some bold choices: a liberal use of flashbacks, split-screen technique, and moments of social commentary that echo the #MeToo movement. One of the episode's most important scenes -- a moment that empowers Honey but simultaneously drives her into the arms of Bunny and the Citadel -- is an example of unexpected and welcome complexity.

Quentin Tarantino wears his influences on his sleeve, with films like Django and Lady Snowblood shaping his movies

Beyond the action beats and solid script, Citadel: Honey Bunny gives audiences a world rich in Indian heritage that gives the prequel a true sense of place and time. Aside from the conversations Honey has with Vivek, the creative team invests time in developing the heroes and the world around them. Villains are afforded minimal screentime and their motivations are given ample shades of grey. There are still a few casualties, though, and the episode ends in a way that completely changes everything.

A well-scripted opening like Citadel: Honey Bunny Season 1, Episode 1, “Dancing and Fighting” comes along all too rarely. The central trio of Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Varan Dhawan, and Kashvi Majmundar are on an equal footing. The former two come fully equipped with action chops, while the latter channels The Bluff star Priyanka Chopra Jonas with ease. The same balance exists between the show's action elements and its character development. Most importantly, this Citadel spinoff feels like it belongs in India; it's not simply a spy series that happens to take place overseas. From its strong sense of culture to its loving winks back to action films, Citadel: Honey Bunny has something for everyone.

Citadel: Honey Bunny premieres Thursday, Nov. 7 on Prime Video.

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