Tag: Kay Kay Menon

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Citadel: Honey Bunny web series review: Slick action coupled with the solid performances makes this an engaging thriller

Raj and DK’s spin-off to Priyanka Chopra’s ‘Citadel’ is far superior to the American web series.
Citadel: Honey Bunny (Hindi); 06-11-2024, Action, Thriller, 6 episodes, 16+, OTT
  • Main Cast: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashavi Majumdar, Kay Kay Menon, Saqib Saleem, Sikander Kher, and Simran Bagga
  • Director: Raj and DK
  • Producer: Syed Zaid Ali and Alek Conic
  • Music Director: Sachin- Jigar
  • Cinematography:J ohn Heurlin Aidt
  • Rating :3/5

The American show Citadel (2023) is considered to be one of the most expensive web series produced. However, the response was quite lukewarm with not-so-great reviews from both the critics and the audiences. Despite that season two of Citadel has been announced.

Raj and DK’s Citadel: Honey and Bunny is a spin-off to this show. It doesn’t completely match up to the finesse of Raj and DK’s previous web shows— The Family Man (2019) and Farzi (2023)—but still it keeps you hooked.

The storyline of Citadel: Honey Bunny moves along two parallel timelines 1992 and 2000. Honey (Samantha) is an ambitious young woman who has run away from home with dreams of becoming an actress.

In pursuit of becoming an actor, her path crosses with that of Varun Dhawan’s Bunny a stunt coordinator. The friendship blossoms into love however Bunny is not what he appears to be. He is leading a double life as a spy for a secret agency.

Synopsis

Things take a turn when Honey, who first approaches Bunny to seek his help in becoming an actor, requests him to train her to be a spy.

Though Bunny initially hesitates, he soon agrees seeing her courage. Amidst this, enters another character Baba, played by Kay Kay Menon.

Kay Kay Menon is the leader of the spy group. He is also the one who has turned Bunny’s life around by picking him up from the orphanage and bringing him up with lots of love. Due to this, Bunny is devoted and loyal to Baba.

The aim of Kay Kay Menon and Co is to bring down “Operation Talwar” sabotaging a rival spy organization “Citadel” in the process.

As the mission progresses, big differences creep up between Honey and Bunny leading to a major cycle of events.

This is the story in brief, which is now available on Amazon Prime Video.

What works and what doesn’t

Samantha and Varun from Citadel Honey Bunny
Samantha and Varun from ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’. (X)

A strong aspect of Citadel: Honey Bunny is how Raj and DK have crafted the love story of the two primary characters. From the initial meet-cute moments to them developing feelings for each other has been wonderfully written and enacted.

The chemistry between Varun and Samantha comes across as organic. Even the scene leading up to their first kiss in the middle of a fun moment doesn’t feel forced.

Another strong aspect of Citadel: Honey Bunny is the dynamics between Baba and Bunny. Kay Kay Menon’s Baba is someone who alternates between being a bad man and also a fatherly figure for not just Bunny but the other guys too.

He inspires both fear and respect. The conversations between Baba and Bunny have an emotional depth with a particular mention of an orphanage scene in the sixth episode. Kay Kay Menon as usual does a very fine job of capturing the various nuances of Baba.

The production design of Citadel: Honey Bunny is quite commendable. Raj and DK along with the technical crew do a fine job in transporting the viewers back to the 90s and early 2000s.

One major problem with Citadel: Honey Bunny is the constant back-and-forth exploring the motivations of the various characters. This back-and-forth does help in giving a psychological insight into how the various struggles have shaped up the protagonists but it also slows down the show.

Another problem with Citadel: Honey Bunny is the underdevelopment of Simran’s character. Her character of Zooni needed better etching to have a stronger impact.

Performances

Samantha with Kashavi in Citadel Honey Bunny
Samantha with Kashavi in ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’. (X)

Child actor Kashavi Majumdar playing Honey and Bunny’s daughter Nadia proves to be a major ace of this web series. Nadia has had to grow up well before time. She is thrust into the dark underbelly of the spy world.

Kashavi does a terrific job of portraying the internal conflict of a young girl whose carefree childhood has gone for a toss. She more than holds her own opposite Samantha brilliantly conveying resilience. The mother-and-daughter scenes give the show some of its best moments.

Samantha as Honey is successful in bringing out both the inner strength and vulnerability of her role. She simply aces the action sequences bringing in the intensity of a mother who is also a deadly spy.

A particular scene where she takes on a group of assassins while gently closing her daughter’s eyes to shield her from the bloodshed is brilliantly written and executed. Action is one of the mainstays of Citadel: Honey Bunny and the fight sequences are indeed a treat to watch particularly for those who like raw action.

Varun Dhawan as Bunny also shines particularly in the emotional scenes. A special mention must be made of his few scenes with Kashavi Majumdar. Saqib Saleem as the menacing KD also makes a striking impact. He proves to be a worthy opponent for Samantha and Varun.

Final take

To sum it up Citadel: Honey Bunny is worth a watch for those who are into gritty action and the spy world.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha Kandula.)

https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/citadel-honey-bunny-web-series-review-slick-action-coupled-with-the-solid-performances-makes-this-an-engaging-spy-thriller/

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Shekhar Home: Sherlock Holmes with a Bengali twist

This desi rendition is a treat for fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective. Directors Srijit Mukherjee and Rohan Sippy do a fine job in capturing the eccentric nature of Sherlock Holmes while giving it their own twist. The atmospherics of Kolkata becomes a major character in itself

  • Starcast: Kay Kay Menon, Ranvir Shorey, Rudranil Ghosh, Kaushik Sen, Rasika Dugal, Kriti Kulhari and others
  • Directors: Srijit Mukherjee and Rohan Sippy
  • Creators: Aniruddha Guha and Srijit Mukherjee
  • Inspired by: Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes
  • Screenplay: Aniruddha Guha Niharika Puri
  • Production house: BBC Studio Productions
  • No of episodes: 6
  • Streaming site: Jio Cinema

The characters of Sherlock Holmes and his associate Dr Watson have captured the imagination of many readers even to this day. The combination of Sherlock Holmes eccentrics and Dr Watson’s more grounded approach makes these stories very entertaining. In Hollywood numerous movies and web shows have taken inspiration from Arthur Conan Doyle’s work. For example, there is the British mystery/ crime series Sherlock. There is also Robert Downey Jr starrer Sherlock Holmes and the sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. There was also the 2020 Enola Holmes with Millie Bobby as Sherlock Holmes sister. In Indian context you have the character of Byomkesh Bakshi a fictional detective similar to Sherlock Holmes. Shekhar Home has the Bengali atmospherics reminiscent of Byomkesh Bakshi but in tone this detective is closer to Sherlock Holmes whacky nature

Kay Kay Menon and Ranvir Shorey as desi Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson

The story of Shekhar Home unfolds in a serene town of Lonapur in Bengal. Shekhar (an excellent Kay Kay Menon) is a detective who draws conclusions with his sharp observations. Shekhar’s biggest strength is his perceptive mind and the ability to second guess. Jayavart Saini (Ranvir Shorey) is an ex-army doctor and Shekhar’s new housemate. Together both of them solve many cases ranging from blackmail, murders and also supernatural events. The solving of all these lead to a major revelation in the climax.

The best part of Shekhar Home is its anthology-like structure. Every episode comes with a fresh bunch of suspects, as a result the approach of Shekhar and Jayavart also varies. This makes the show very interesting. The series particularly picks up pace when the action shifts to a place in Bihar. These portions have Jayavart in a stressful mood resulting in some chuckle worthy moments. The task of Shekhar and Jayavart is to catch the person blackmailing a politician. Rasika Dugal plays Iravati, she is a Sitar expert whose observation skills are on par with Shekhar. The chemistry between Kay Kay Menon and Rasika is a delight to watch.

Rasika Dugal in Shekhar Home

Iravati is a seductress with a hidden agenda. The scenes of Shekhar and Iravati using their observation skills to stay one step ahead is wonderful to watch.

Mention also must be made of the segment involving Kriti Kulhari as Mumtaz. Mumtaz is a liaison officer responsible for inter- departmental coordination. Shekhar and Jayavart are on the hunt for a certain M. This segment also keeps you hooked, and the ultimate revelation is indeed a pleasant shocker.

Kriti Kulhari in Shekhar Home

Shekhar Home also benefits from excellent cinematography. The visuals of bustling streets and hidden alleys makes you feel like you are solving the crimes alongside Shekhar. The charm of Kolkata coupled with the eerie mood heighten the tension. The incorporation of the Bengali Folklore is also first rate. Joel Crasto’s background score is in perfect sync. The series ends with a cliffhanger leaving the viewers excited for the second season.

It goes without saying that Kay Kay Menon and Ranvir Shorey shoulder the show with their first-rate performances. Kay Kay slips into the eccentric nature of this desi Sherlock with utmost ease. He portrays the role with the right blend of humor and intensity. Ranvir Shorey as Jayavrat proves to be a perfect partner. Apart from the comic scenes Ranvir particularly shines in the pre climax bringing out an unexpected side of him. Rasika Dugal and Kriti Kulhari also do well in their respective parts. Shehnaz Patel as Shekhar’s landlady comes across as tad too animated which could have been toned down.

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The Railway Men: Aditya Chopra Hits A Sixer With This Gripping Saga Of Unsung Heroes

Presents a realistic picture.

The Railway Men (Hindi)

  • Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Babil Khan, R Madhavan, Divyenndu Sharma, and Juhi Chawla
  • Director: Shiv Rawail
  • Producer: Aditya Chopra
  • Music: Sam Slater
  • No. of episodes: 4
  • OTT platform: Netflix

The Bhopal Gas tragedy of 1984 is one of the darkest chapters in Indian history. Thousands lost their lives, and thousands are still suffering from the severe aftereffects.

As the title suggests, The Railway Men limited web series focuses the lens on the little-known heroes of the Indian Railways and how they had put their lives at stake to save as many lives as possible on that fateful night.

There are four main characters in the web show. Iftekaar Siddiqui (Kay Kay Menon) is the station master of Bhopal Junction. Imaad Riaz (Babil Khan) is the newly joined locomotive pilot.

R Madhavan plays the Central Railways GM. Divyenndu is a thug who wants to take advantage of the chaos around them but contributes to the rescue mission.

Meanwhile, Journalist Jagmohan Kumawat (Sunny Hinduja) runs a crusade against the American company Union Carbide — even before the gas leak — and warns the locals against the impending danger. This, he does, in spite of the attempts to silence him.

Synopsis

Babil Khan in The Railway Men
Babil Khan in ‘The Railway Men’. (NetflixIndia/ X)

Through the four episodes, director-cum-co-writer Shiv Rawail presents a horrifying picture of the tragedy.

The Railway Men web series hits the ground running for the first time. The director doesn’t mince any words in throwing light on the moral corruption within the political landscape, including how the chief of the Union Carbide factory got away without any punishment. This he does successfully through the character of Sunny Hinduja.

What also works for The Railway Men is the strong emotional connection that Shiv Rawail builds through his characters.

The subject of the Bhopal Gas tragedy is a difficult subject to handle for any director, let alone a debutant, but the newbie more than lives up to the challenge.

The limited web series has quite a lot of close-up shots of poison emanating from people’s mouths. These scenes are difficult to watch, but they leave a solid impact on the viewers’ minds.

A realistic portrayal

Kay Kay Menon in The Railway Men
Kay Kay Menon in ‘The Railway Men’. (NetflixIndia/ X)

The web series also presents a realistic picture of the aftereffects of the gas leak.

Of course, as viewers, you do feel happy when the four men together save some lives. But the series is also a reminder of how things are still bleak for those who survived that night.

The production design of Rajat Poddar is another plus for the series. He does a splendid job of creating an authentic atmosphere.

The Railway Men also briefly touches upon the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, along with another brief subplot about a group of women who were going to participate in a swimming competition.

The angle involving the anti-Sikh riots has been well integrated, but the other one doesn’t really work.

Performances

R Madhavan in The Railway Men
R Madhavan in ‘The Railway Men’. (NetflixIndia/ X)

The performances of all the actors are top-notch, starting with the excellent Kay Kay Menon. The actor is at his usual best, portraying the determination and courage of Iftekaar.

Divyenndu Sharma portrays the dual-shaded personality of his character well. He delivers some punchy one-liners.

Babil Khan is also flawless. He perfectly adopts the Bhopali dialect. He is one of the men who dies on that tragic night.

R Madhavan has a late entry, but the actor is authoritative in all his scenes. There is a solid monologue involving Madhavan, where he delivers with his usual panache.

Juhi Chawla plays the solo woman representative of the government. She is good in her brief role.

Here, it has to be said that the women characters could have been more impactful.

Final take

The Railway Men is the first web series that YRF has produced. Let’s hope that Aditya Chopra continues to bankroll more web shows on various subjects.

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Farzi: Another Global Crime Tackled With Finesse

A perfect package of entertainment

Summary

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupati, Rashi Khanna, Ragina Cassandra, Amol Palekar, Bhuvan Arora, and Zakir Hussain.
Director: Raj and DK
Producer: Raj and DK
Music: Sachin- Jigar, Tanishk Bagchi, and Ketan Sodha
Genre: Crime thriller
OTT platform: Amazon prime
Episodes: 8

The director duo of Raj and DK specialise in taking global issues and looking at them through a humanistic lens.

For example, in The Family Man Season 2, Through the character Raji — a hardened LTTE militant — played by Samantha they made a point that a freedom fighter for some could become a terrorist for others.

The crime — counterfeit currency

Most of the characters in The Family Man series had their share of moral ambiguities.

In Farzi, Raj and DK looked at the issue of counterfeit money.

Counterfeit currency — as everyone knows — is a currency that is not genuine but made to look exactly genuine to deceive people.

Farzi has similarities with both seasons of The Family Man, in the sense that here also a cat-and-mouse game along with a troubled personal life does exist.

Farzi is not as tight as the two seasons of The Family Man but there still is a lot to like here.

Farzi captures the journey of an antihero Sunny (Shahid Kapoor).

Sunny is a small-scale sketch artist with a lot of pent-up anger towards the system.

Sunny’s grandfather — played by veteran actor Amol Palekar — is an old-time journalist.

He runs a revolutionary magazine called Kranti, which does not sell much similar to most magazines of that genre.

As a result, a situation arises where the magazine has to be shut down following huge debts.

The tale around the crime

To revive the magazine, Sunny and his best friend Firoz (Bhuvan Arora) start designing counterfeit money.

Soon, Sunny and Firoz come to the notice of Mansoor (Kay Kay Menon), who is the biggest name in the world of counterfeiting, and become part of Mansoor’s business.

Initially, it is all about saving Nanu’s Kranti magazine but soon it becomes more of a self-destruction.

Parallel to this you have Michael (Vijay Sethupati) who is a fiery task force officer, hell-bent on eradicating fake currency in India.

He shares an interesting equation with the central minister played by Zakir Hussain. In this mix, there is also Megha (Rashi Khanna). Megha is an important cog in the team of Michael.

The rest of the story focuses on whether Michael will be successful in his mission or not and more importantly how Sunny’s life changes because of this illegal business.

The best of an anti-hero

The best part of Farzi is how the directors make you empathise with its anti-hero.

Audiences know that Sunny’s actions are not right but at the same time, they understand where Sunny is coming from.

There are many layers to Sunny, and through him, the director presents a psychological portrait of a man who is consumed by greed.

During the course, Sunny’s personality changes so much that even his loved ones fail to recognise him anymore.

Vijay Sethupati at his best

Farzi also dwells deeply into the topic of the production of fake notes and their infiltration into the economy. These details have a certain shock value and keep the audiences engrossed.

By its very nature, Farzi falls under gritty space but at the same time, there are also some highly entertaining moments.

The best of them involves Vijay Sethupati’s Michael and the central minister.

Their banter is filled with many entertaining lines that bring much-needed relief.

Raj and DK also deserve credit for the portrayal of Rashi Khanna’s Megha who can be seen in different spaces, not just her professional life.

Khanna plays Megha with the right amount of spunk even after standing opposite more experienced actors like Vijay Sethupati and Shahid Kapoor.

The rest of the cast’s performance

Sunny’s equation with grandpa has also got some tender moments.

There is a quiet dignity that Amol Palekar lends to his part as an idealistic journalist.

However, a little more info about the objectives of Kranti magazine would have made his character even more memorable.

The same applies to Michael’s troubled personal life. His moments with his wife (Ragina Cassandra) and the son are sweet but in the scheme of things they come across as more of an add-on.

There are a couple of scenes where Vijay Sethupati converses with Manoj Bajpai’s Srikant Tiwari from The Family Man series. This hints at a possible crossover between the two agents in season two of Farzi.

Shahid Kapoor’s knock-out performance

Shahid Kapoor as Sunny delivers a knockout performance. Shahid has always been good at playing conflicted heroes and in Farzi too he lives up to it. He captures the various shades of Sunny with the required finesse.

Vijay Sethupati is a treat to watch as the fiery task force officer.

It takes a little time to get used to hearing Vijay Sethupati speak Hindi but he grows on you as the series progresses.

He is at his best, particularly in the lighter moments. Kay Kay Menon is someone who doesn’t need a particular introduction and here too the veteran is in solid form.

Last but not least Bhuvan Arora gives solid support. He instantly makes you fall in love with Firoz.

The verdict

The technical departments led by cinematographer Pankaj Kumar are also in perfect sync with the gritty nature of the series.

In a nutshell, Raj and DK continue their streak of delivering solid content with a perfect package of important issues and entertainment.

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Ray (Anthology): A Good Tribute To The Master Director

Satyajit Ray was not just a celebrated filmmaker he was also a man of many talents. One of his talents was writing stories. Ray anthology directed by Srijit Mukherjee, Abhishek Chaubey and Vasan Bala is a reimagination of Ray’s stories for the modern audience. It is quite a huge task on hand and fortunately the makers do a good job for most part. My most favourite one is Abhishek Chaubey’s Hungama Hai Kyon. The least impressive segment is the last one directed by Vasan Bala. Below is my brief opinion on the four films.

Forget Me Not directed by Srijit Mukherjee

Forget Me Not focuses on Ipsit Nair (Ali Fazal) who has successfully climbed up the corporate ladder. He is called as a human computer by his colleagues because of his sharp memory. He is adored by everyone around him. But things take a turn when he bumps into an old flame and start spiralling down fast. Ipsit is haunted by that girl whom he cannot remember and slowly starts getting restless and loses focus on the job.

Due to his restlessness he also gets into an accident. Initially the impression that we get is he just lost his memory, some sort of dementia but as the story goes along more things come out of the closet and the darker side of Ipsit’s personality is revealed.

That is when we realise that Forget Me Not is not about a single person. It talks about a very important thing which is the growing selfishness of young men and how they will do anything in order to climb up the social ladder. The best thing about this segment is how Srijit Mukherjee unravels the plot and its characters. This can be best seen in Shweta Basu’s role. Initially she comes across as someone who is not so important but Srijit gives a super twist to the character in the climax.

Ali Fazal nails his part of a man whose life is spiralling downwards. The madness and the eccentricity came out perfectly. Shweta Basu Prasad also does a good job particularly when it matters most.

Bahrupiya also directed by Srijit Mukherjee stars Kay Kay Menon as a clerk with an obsession for prosthetics. He is also an aspiring makeup artist who is stuck with a job and a life both of which he hates. His grandmother was a makeup supplier for Hollywood studios, when she passes away she leaves him a lot of fortune which includes prosthetics too. Bahrupiya uses a Joker kind of setting where the protagonist is pushed to doing things which aren’t exactly right. The path that he chooses leads him to do several unpleasant things which also bring him a question of his own identity.

Bahrupiya makes an interesting viewing because you get invested in the character of Kay Kay Menon’s Indrashish and the world that he is tangled in. The Joker kind of setting has been cleverly adapted and the prosthetics that Indrashish uses to fool people has been well executed.

The best part of the story is the existential question that the character faces of who he really is. Is he Indrashish or the Bahrupiya who is hiding under the prosthetics. Kay Kay Menon is at his usual best and he is successful in portraying the character’s transformation.

Hungama Hai Kyon Barpa

After two intense stories this one comes across as a welcome breather by Abhishek Chaubey. The plot is essentially a train journey and focuses on a disorder called Kleptomania. For those who are not aware Kleptomania is an impulse that results in an urge to steal. Manoj Bajpai plays an Urdu Ghazal singer Musafir. During a train journey he meets Asleem Beig (Gajraj Rao), a wrestler turned- sports journalist. As the story progresses it is revealed that it is not for the first time that these two met. Also a shocking revelation is given about Musafir before he became a famous singer that he is today.

This one rests on a thin plot but works because of Abhishek Chaubey’s treatment. The director cleverly uses the glass of the train’s washroom as a device to narrate the story. It is also a pleasure to watch the crackling chemistry between Manoj Bajpai and Gajraj Rao. Both of them are in perfect sync with each other. The Urdu dialogues muttered by Manoj Bajpai’s character are a pleasure to watch.

The dark humour will make you chuckle at many instances. The editing is also razor sharp and it perfectly complements the fast paced journey of these two. Needless to say that the two actors are in perfect form.

Spolight directed by Vasan Bala

It is easily the weakest link in this anthology. The story is about a superstar Vikram Malhotra played by Harshvardhan Kapoor. He has become a sensation just for his one look. He loves to be in the spotlight but he soon faces an adversary in the form of Didi (Radhika Madan). She is a religious leader who is coincidentally living in the same hotel as Vikram. Vikram starts feeling threatened. They eventually meet which reveals a big twist regarding Didi. This twist is the only thing which works in the story.

The biggest problem with this one is the lack of cohesiveness in what Vasan Bala wants to say. The filmy references don’t work except for a couple of ones. Harshvardhan Kapoor also doesn’t have the star aura about him to play this character. Akansha Ranjan is sincere but is let down by a haphazard characterization. Radhika Madan in her brief appearance is the only one who shines here.

Ray anthology can definitely be watched in spite of a limp ending.