Varun Dhawan revealed how he reacted when he was asked to punch Samantha Ruth Prabhu on the very first day of Citadel: Honey Bunny shooting at the teaser launch event of the much-awaited series in Mumbai on Thursday. Varun said at the press conference, "Samantha's like, 'Hit me, hit me.' So there's a lot of hitting also going on for various reasons. It's a violent love story." Varun Dhawan also talked about Samantha's determination and grit as she had to undergo tough times in terms of her illness during the shoot. "Honestly, my preparation was very easy compared to Samantha's. It's public knowledge what she was battling when she joined the show. I thought my rehearsals were tough, but then I saw her incredible work ethic despite her struggles, and it truly inspired me. We became partners in making things happen." FYI, Samantha Ruth Prabhu revealed in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition called Myositis.
Praising Samantha's never-say-die spirit, Varun Dhawan said, "I've never been on a shoot or a creative process like that before, where I witnessed a co-actor going through such challenges. You learn a lot about human resilience and strength when you see someone battling something and still succeeding. Samantha inspired not just me, but also Raj, DK, Sita, and everyone at Amazon. Her dedication to this action show is truly inspirational."
For the event, Samantha wore a black dress while Varun Dhawan teamed up a jacket with a shirt. Take a look at the pictures from the event:
Citadel: Honey Bunny also stars Kay Kay Menon, Simran, Soham Majumdar, Shivankit Parihar, Kashvi Majmundar, Saquib Saleem, Sikandar Kher. Check out the teaser of Citadel: Honey Bunny here:
Citadel is a multi-series with productions from India, Italy and Mexico. It stars Richard Madden alongside Priyanka Chopra and it has been backed by the Russo Brothers. The India chapter of Citadel has been directed by Raj and DK. Samantha previously worked with them in Family Man 2. Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu collaborated for the first time in this series.