Samantha Ruth Prabhu boards Indian installment of ‘Citadel’

PTI, Feb 1, 2023, 10:19 AM IST

”Yashoda” star Samantha Ruth Prabhu has joined the cast of Prime Video’s Indian original series within the “Citadel” franchise alongside Varun Dhawan, the streaming platform confirmed Wednesday.

The show marks Prabhu’s second outing with the streamer and showrunner duo Raj & DK, who directed her in the second season of their hit spy thriller series ”The Family Man”.

Aparna Purohit, head of India Originals, Prime Video, said the team is thrilled to be working with the actor once again. ”She made her streaming debut with The Family Man Season Two, on Prime Video, and is one of the most talented artistes in the industry today. We can’t wait for audiences to see her on screen in a brand new avatar, along with Varun and the incredibly talented ensemble cast we have on board for this series.

“The canvas for the Indian installment of Citadel is larger than life but the treatment and texture is retro, rooted, and quirky. The series is being shot extensively across India and international locales. With Raj & DK steering this ship and a terrifically talented cast, we are confident that the series is going to be nothing short of a spectacle,” Purohit said in a statement.

Billed as a “local original spy series”, the currently untitled project hails from Prime Video and AGBO, the production banner co-founded by Hollywood filmmaking duo Russo Brothers.

Raj Nidimoru & Krishna DK, who also serve as directors on the upcoming show, said casting Prabhu in the Indian chapter of the “Citadel” universe was a no-brainer.

“We are thrilled to have started production on Citadel India. The first leg is being shot in India, before we move onwards to Serbia and South Africa. We have an amazing crew and a tremendously talented cast, which makes the creative process all the more exciting,” they added.

Working on this project was a homecoming for the actor.

“The Citadel universe, the interconnected storylines between the productions across the globe, and most importantly, the script of the Indian installment really excited me. I am thrilled to be a part of this brilliant universe conceptualised by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO. I am also looking forward to working with Varun for the first time on this project. He is someone who is full of life and cheer when you’re around him,” Prabhu said.

Written by Sita R Menon along with Raj & DK, the Indian Original “Citadel” series marks the streaming debut of Dhawan.

Raj & DK under their banner D2R Films will also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by D2R Films, and Amazon Studios, with AGBO’s Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Scott Nemes, and David Weil overseeing production on the Indian Original and all series within the global “Citadel” universe.

Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg serve as executive producers for Midnight Radio on the Indian chapter as well as other “Citadel” installments.

As previously announced, Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Stanley Tucci will star in the first-to-launch “Citadel” series in the franchise. It will premiere in 2023.

Additional local-language “Citadel” productions are also in the works, including an Italian Original series starring Matilda De Angelis of “The Undoing” fame.