Citadel: Honey Bunny: Samantha's Here To Slay!

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.