Varun Dhawan praises Samantha Ruth Prabhu for shooting Citadel Honey Bunny despite Myositis struggle

At the recent teaser launch of the Amazon Prime web series Citadel: Honey Bunny, actor Varun Dhawan expressed deep admiration for his co-star Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The Indian version of the popular series Citadel will soon premiere, and the teaser was unveiled on Thursday, followed by a press meet.

Varun Dhawan spoke candidly about Samantha’s remarkable performance despite her challenging health condition. Samantha has been battling myositis, an autoimmune disorder, which significantly impacts muscle strength. Varun highlighted Samantha’s dedication and strength, saying, “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.”

Varun praised Samantha’s resilience and dedication, noting that her commitment to the series inspired not just him, but also the entire team including directors Raj & DK and everyone at Amazon. He remarked, “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’s dedication to this action show is truly inspirational.”

In March, Samantha shared on her health podcast Take 20 that working on Citadel was physically demanding. She revealed that she had to balance finishing her Telugu film Kushi and working on Citadel, which involved intense action sequences. Samantha admitted, “I had to finish Kushi, and I had to shoot for Citadel, which is extremely physical. There’s a lot of action involved. So it was very strenuous.”

She also discussed the health challenges she faced during the shoot, including passing out and having a concussion. Samantha mentioned that she often needed assistance from her wellness coach, Alkesh Sharotri, due to spasms and cramping. “Many, many calls were made to you (Alkesh) in the middle of shoot - she’s having a spasm, she’s cramping. I passed out and I had a concussion,” she said.

Citadel: Honey Bunny is the Indian adaptation of the American web series Citadel, created by Josh Appelbaum, Bryan Oh, and David Weil, with the Russo Brothers as executive producers. The series will debut on November 7 and also stars Sikandar Kher, Kay Kay Menon, Saqib Saleem, and Emma Canning.