Dubai schoolgirl on becoming the breakout star of Citadel: Honey Bunny


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Life is about to change for Dubai schoolgirl Kashvi Majmundar in a major way. After bagging her first acting role in the big budget Prime Video series Citadel: Honey Bunny, the recently turned nine-year-old is receiving rave reviews for her performance, playing a young version of Priyanka Chopra Jonas's character in the spy thriller.

“People in school have now started to recognise me,” the sprightly Year 5 student from Dubai tells The National. “And so many people are telling me they saw the show.”

The action thriller is a prequel to Citadel, the US series which premiered last year, and serves as an origin story for Chopra Jonas's character Nadia Sinh. Set in Mumbai in the 1990s, Citadel: Honey Bunny features Bollywood star Varun Dhawan and South Indian actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead as deadly spies. Kashvi plays their daughter, Nadia. Acclaimed filmmakers Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, famously known as Raj & DK, direct all six episodes in the series.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Kashvi Majmundar in Citadel: Honey Bunny. Photo: Prime Video
Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Kashvi Majmundar in Citadel: Honey Bunny. Photo: Prime Video

Despite mixed reviews, the show claimed the top spot as Prime Video's most-watched series worldwide during its launch weekend and also landed in the Top 10 in 150 countries, including the UAE, UK, US, Canada, Brazil and Australia.

Kashvi, who lives in Dubai with her parents and younger brother, shot for about 22 days last year, flitting between the UAE and India as and when she was required. She says she had no nerves going on set for the first time and sharing the screen with major stars.

Dubai schoolgirl Kashvi Majmundar made her acting debut in Prime Video's big budget spy thriller Citadel: Honey Bunny. Antonie Robertson / The National
Dubai schoolgirl Kashvi Majmundar made her acting debut in Prime Video's big budget spy thriller Citadel: Honey Bunny. Antonie Robertson / The National

“I was just hyper,” she says. “I was excited to shoot and be on the show, to say my dialogues in front of the camera. It was a really fun experience.

“When I met Samantha didi [elder sister] for the first time, it was during a lunch. She was so nice and I told her I love her song, Oo Antava Mawa. Then when I met Varun bhaiya [older brother], I told him how much I love his dancing.

“Our first scene was when he says the line 'I am your father,' to me. And I remember that on our first take, when he said that, I started blushing because I was such a big fan of his. Then everyone on the set started laughing. That was a fun day.”

Kashvi with Bollywood star Varun Dhawan on the set of Citadel: Honey Bunny. Photo: Kashvi Majmundar
Kashvi with Bollywood star Varun Dhawan on the set of Citadel: Honey Bunny. Photo: Kashvi Majmundar

Playing a younger version of Chopra Jonas is special because she's “a perfect match”, she says. “She acts and now I can say I am part of the acting community too. She dances very well, and so do I. She sings and I love singing too. And she speaks so well, just like me.”

Kashvi has also won multiple Principal's Awards for her overall achievements and brought home many awards for her dancing. “I started dancing when I was only 10 to 12 months, I think. My mum would put on music and I'd just move my body. So I've loved dancing since I remember. It's my first passion,” she says. “And I think people enjoy to watch me dance because of the expressions I make.”

Her dancing skills are popular on Instagram, where she has more than 176,000 followers. It was through social media that Kashvi was hand-picked by Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi to join her on stage during her International Indian Film Academy Awards performance in Abu Dhabi in 2022, her first taste of stardom.

Kashvi sharing the stage with Nora Fatehi at the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi. Photo: IIFA
Kashvi sharing the stage with Nora Fatehi at the IIFA Awards 2022 in Abu Dhabi. Photo: IIFA

But now that she's bitten the acting bug, Kashvi says she wants to be global actress when she grows up. And she wants to do roles that will challenge her. “I want do roles that are different from my personality. Maybe a spy or an action star,” she says. “I don't want to be just a Bollywood actress, I want to be an international star … like Priyanka Chopra.”

Liverpool's all-time goalscorers

Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA

Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi

Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser

Rating: 4.5/5

Company%20profile
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Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series

All matches at the Harare Sports Club:

1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10

2nd ODI, Friday, April 12

3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14

4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed

SPECS

Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman

Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 306hp

Torque: 450Nm

Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500

'The Sky is Everywhere'

Director:Josephine Decker

Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon

Rating:2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
If you go

The flights

There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.

The trip

Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.

The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.

 

RESULTS

6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner Meshakel, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m

Winner Gervais, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m

Winner Global Heat, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.

8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m

Winner Firnas, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m

Winner Rebel’s Romance, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m

Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m

Winner Wasim, Mickael Barzalona, Ismail Mohammed.

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

The%20specs
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Cracks in the Wall

Ben White, Pluto Press 

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Closing the loophole on sugary drinks

As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.

The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
 

Not taxed:

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)

  • Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs 
  • Thursday 20 January: v England 
  • Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh 

UAE squad:

Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith  

Updated: November 26, 2024, 12:35 PM