Story of Citadel: Honey Bunny
Remember that Hollywood show where Priyanka Chopra walks in wearing a red hot dress and does some slick action? Yes, that’s Citadel – the US version. Launched on Amazon Prime Video, in 2023, and produced by the Russo brothers, the US Citadel stars Richard Madden alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Citadel: Honey Bunny is an Indian spinoff that also premiered on the same platform. The Citadel Spy Verse also came up with an Italian spin-off, Citadel: Diana, in 2024.
The storyline of Citadel: Honey Bunny tells the narrative of Nadia’s (Priyanka’s character in Citadel US) parents – Rahi Gambhir, called Bunny, (played by Varun Dhawan) and Hanimandakini, called Honey, (played by Samantha Ruth Prabhu).
Much like its American counterpart, Citadel: Honey Bunny keeps switching scenes between two timelines – the past 1992, and the present 2000.
Citadel: Honey Bunny’s Plot
It is the year 1992 – when Bollywood stuntman Rahi, called Bunny, moonlights as a secret agent for a mysterious, dubious man called Vishwa, who is like a father figure to him and Bunny calls him Baba. Bunny recruits struggling actress Hanimandakini, aka Honey. as a honey trap for a mission. She joins Bunny’s team for some money and becomes an agent herself.
A series of events lead them to Bucharest, when they attempt to steal a high-tech gadget, called the Armada, and stop a dangerous mission. Things take a worse turn there and everything falls apart.
When the scene shifts to the present 2000, the show has moved eight years ahead. Honey and Bunny— both estranged since 1992—are now living in hiding.
Honey is living a normal life in the sleepy town of Nainital as a single mother to her seven-year-old daughter Nadia (young Priyanka Chopra). This hyper-alert and precocious girl is trained to get out of predicaments and survive from this young age and grows up to become Priyanka Chopra Joans’s Nadia Sinh. It is here when Honey’s past catches up with her and she is pursued by Vishwa’s men as well as Citadel agents.
As Honey escapes from one sticky situation to another, the pace quickens and never lets go of her. When all her escape routes are closed, she seeks refuge in her family house in southern India.
Meanwhile, Bunny, who thinks Honey died in the Bucharest tragedy in 1992, finds out that she is very much alive. He is ecstatic to find out that he also has a daughter. When he gets to know what a grave danger Honey and Nadia are in, he begins searching for them. It is from here that the various pieces of this complicated jigsaw puzzle start coming together.
Directed by Raj & DK, the story of the Indian version of Citadel is as baffling as it is dazzling. Not only does the Indian instalment of Citadel Spy Verse boast impressive cinema sequences, but also has a talented cast. And for all you action lovers out there, there’s plenty to keep you on the edge of your seats.
