Raj & DK on how Priyanka Chopra's Citadel links to Varun Dhawan-Samantha Ruth Prabhu's Indian instalment | Exclusive

Filmmaker duo Raj & DK have a busy 2023 up ahead. They have as many as five web series lined up, starting with Farzi, the OTT debut of Shahid Kapoor and Vijay Sethupathi. They then have the third season of The Family Man, as well as Guns & Gulaabs and The Gulakanda Tales. But the most intriguing project they have is the Indian instalment of Prime Video’s Citadel. In a chat with DNA, Raj & DK open up about the show and how it connects with the global franchise.

Citadel is a futuristic espionage thriller created by the Russo Brothers. The show stars Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden and as per reports, it launches a cinematic universe involving other shows. The Indian instalment of the show is helmed by Raj & DK and it stars Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Talking about their initial interactions with the Russos about the show, Raj says, “We met the Russo Brothers in their office a couple of years ago pre-pandemic and that’s when this whole thing started. We learnt a lot when we saw them in their writers’ room. That was pretty cool to see how they were designing Citadel.”

The filmmaker says that their show is part of the Citadel universe. “Citadel is a universe. They are creating a spy universe, which consists of many series with one set in America, one in India, one in Italy and they might add a few more. These series are all interconnected under one larger umbrella universe,” says Raj. His partner DK explains that though the story and concept of the series is theirs, it is linked to the other shows. “The story and the concept are all ours. But the only catch us that we are writing our story in their world, their universe. But apart from that, just like we have written Farzi, we have written this too. The plate is theirs but the meal is totally ours,” he explains.

The filmmaker duo does have one bone to pick with the media though. So far, their show has been described as a spinoff or remake in various reports. They say it isn’t so. DK says, “I keep seeing reports in the media about it being an Indian adaptation or remake or sequel. So, I just want to clarify that it is none of those things. It is an independent series that stands on its own but part of it.”

Filming for the yet-untitled series has begun but there is no release date yet. The series is expected to stream sometime next year or towards the end of this year at the earliest. Russos’ Citadel is in post-production and is expected to stream later this year.