‘Citadel’ a dialogue with India over storytelling, films and shows: filmmaker Anthony Russo

Anthony Russo, the one half of the Russo brothers, says it’s thrilling for them to join forces with Indian filmmakers for their globetrotting “Citadel” spyverse after witnessing India’s passion for cinema first hand on their visits to the country to promote “Avengers: Endgame” and “The Gray Man”.

Anthony and his younger brother Joe Russo enjoy a massive fan following in India

since they directed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in 2014.

Prime Video series “Citadel” is their most ambitious project and is led by Indian star Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden of “Game of Thrones” fame.

“We are cinema lovers. We are very passionate. We were fanatical cinema goers before we became filmmakers. So we respond very strongly to film lovers and India has such a massive passion for film. It’s electrifying,” Anthony told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“Citadel: Honey Bunny”, which releases in India on November 7, is directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK. The India chapter stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

“It’s a dialogue with India over storytelling, films and shows. It has been one of the most exciting parts to what we have been able to do as filmmakers is to be able to engage with Indian audiences,” Anthony said about the India chapter of the series, which has an Italian companion in “Citadel: Diana”, slated to release on October 10.

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“Citadel”, which saw Priyanka play Nadia Sinh, premiered last year on Prime Video and is already filming its second season.

But before that, the Russos are bringing the action to India through “Citadel: Honey Bunny”, written by Sita Menon.

“Now the great thrill here with ‘Citadel’, we really get to partner with Indian storytellers and filmmakers as well with DK and Raj and Sita. It’s not only with the audiences but now with the creators. And that is thrilling to us,” said the director.

Growing up in Ohio, the US, Anthony said he and his brother would often be found watching “obscure” films from every corner of the planet at the Cleveland Cinematheque, an alternative and repertory film theatre.

Bringing multiple cultures of countries like America, India and Italy together through “Citadel” could very well become a blueprint of diversity both in front of and behind the camera, he said.

“‘Citadel’ presents an entirely different opportunity for us to do something we have never done before… We connect with people everywhere through this show, through this show’s storytelling.

“The process of creative collaboration and co-creation is really intimate, powerful and strong and it’s a very involved form of human communication so the fact that we can do that and share that dialogue with the audiences is the greatest thrill,” he added.

“Citadel: Diana”, which has Anthony, Joe and their sister Angela Russo-Otstot (AGBO) on board as executive producers, is the second series to debut from the world of “Citadel”.

The show follows Matilda de Angelis’ titular character, a spy in Manticore who is working undercover as a mole for its rival agency Citadel to unearth the truth behind her parents death.

Between “Citadel” and “Citadel: Honey Bunny”, where does “Citadel: Diana” fit in the grand scheme of things?

Angela said the two shows are set in different timelines and pay homage to their own cinematic histories in “wonderful” ways.

“‘Citadel: Diana’ takes place in the near future, in the year 2030. It’s about eight years after the fall of ‘Citadel’ which we witnessed in season one. So we are roughly in a similar timeline as ‘Citadel’ season one and ‘Diana’.

“However, in ‘Honey Bunny’ we are going to go back many decades to experience the childhood of Priyanka’s character Nadia. So that series largely takes place in the 1990’s and also 2000’s. The two timelines which we will be tracking,” she said.

According to Angela,”Citadel: Honey Bunny” has a retro feel and is a bit more analog, whereas “Citadel: Diana” is slick and futuristic in terms of technology.

“The level of execution from all our filmmakers, DK, Raj, Gina Gardini (showrunner) and Arnaldo Catinari (director) in ‘Diana’ is really exquisite. It is really thrilling for us,” she added.

Davil Weil, co-creator of “Citadel”, said the new show allows the makers to answer many “thrilling” fan questions that emerged from the first series.

Through this long-format of global storytelling, the writer said they got a chance to “peek” between the different chapters of what they created in one series and shine a light on it in another one.

The connection is personal in both “Citadel: Diana” and “Citadel: Honey Bunny”.

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“People fell in love with Nadia, who wouldn’t? It’s Priyanka Chopra Jonas. What was so thrilling to see in ‘Honey Bunny’ is really diving into her origin story, who her parents were and it is a really beautiful love story at the centre… ‘Citadel: Diana” allows us to peek inside Manticore, the antagonist to the Citadel spy organisation and really put a human face and a family at the centre of Manticore,” David, who also serves as an executive producer on “Diana”, said.

“Citadel: Diana” also honours Russo siblings’ Italian roots.

“Italy has a very special culture that influences so many people around the world but certainly the fact that our family history is rooted there, it has always spoken very powerfully to us. And we’ve been very tuned into it. So to be able to collaborate with them is a thrill for us,” Anthony said.

“Our parents are very excited,” Angela added.