At the teaser launch of “Citadel: Honey Bunny,” Varun Dhawan spoke about his preparation for the action series, a genre he has mostly avoided since “Badlapur.” He also praised Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s grit and determination, noting that she was still recovering from myositis during the shoot.
Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, along with creators Raj and DK, launched the teaser for “Citadel: Honey Bunny,” the Indian version of Amazon Prime Video’s action series by the Russo Brothers, in Mumbai on Thursday. During the launch, Varun discussed his preparation for the action series, a genre he has largely avoided since “Badlapur.” He also took a moment to commend Samantha’s grit and determination during filming, as she was recovering from myositis at the time.
Varun said, “My preparation for stunts was very easy compared to Samantha’s because it’s public knowledge that she was battling the disease when she got on this show. I would think it’s hard when I started rehearsing, and I would think, ‘Raj and DK are making me do this’. But then I would see the work ethic this girl (Samantha Ruth Prabhu) had and what she was battling, and that really inspired me.” Samantha, moved by his comment, responded, “I’m going to cry now.”
Varun also shared his experience of working on a web show for the first time. He mentioned that Raj and DK were strict about him not taking up any other projects while shooting “Citadel: Honey Bunny.”
“With the series, you get longer time to be in the character. When you work with directors like Raj and DK, they are concerned whether you are starting another film or ad. When I came on board, they had strictly told me, ‘If you’re doing this, you cannot do another film or shoot ads because this is your look, you’ll be only this.’ I enjoyed it a little more because I got to be in the character of Bunny for a longer period of time. When you get so much time, the arc of the character comes out better,” he said.
Varun added that audiences will see a “different side” of him in “Citadel India,” similar to how they saw him in “Badlapur.”
“In this show, people will hopefully understand my character. There are moments that you can express well. Besides, Raj and DK are such wonderful directors. I had a good time learning from them and being directed by them. People will get to see a different side of mine, which I don’t think I’ve gone into since Badlapur. I got a chance now. They’ve pushed me into a corner to get that performance, but I’m glad it happened,” Varun concluded.
“Citadel: Honey Bunny” is set to start streaming on Amazon Prime Video from November 7.
