Priyanka Chopra Jonas reveals ‘Citadel’ marks her first project in 22 years

Priyanka Chopra Jonas says her upcoming Prime Video series Citadel is the first project in her more than two-decade career where she has been paid the same as her male lead. The Citadel, an ambitious spy drama set to premiere on April 28, is produced by the Russo Brothers (filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo) AGBO and showrunner David Weil.

Chopra Jonas stars as elite spy Nadia Sinha alongside Game of Thrones star Richard Madden in the world trotting series. “I have been working in the entertainment industry for 22 years. I've done about 70 features and two TV shows. When I did Citadel, for the first time in 22 years, I had pay parity with my male actor,” the actor, known for starring in hit Hindi titles 'Barfi!', Bajirao Mastani, 'Kaminey' and 'Mary Kom'. “, said.

She was interviewed by Amazon Studios and MGM chief Jennifer Salke at the 2023 SXSW (South by Southwest) event. Chopra Jonas asked Salke if pay parity was possible at Amazon Studios because it was headed by a woman.

“There was no doubt in my mind that it was absolutely the right thing to do… I see the change and I find it inspiring… There needs to be a space for a woman in the room to step back, pause… let's check it out,” she said Salke. Such decisions “have to be deliberate, and they have to be automatic,” she added.

Citadel will act as a flagship show that will tie in with local shows already in production in India and Italy, starring Matilda De Angelis, Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. In the series, the global spy agency Citadel has fallen and its agents' memories have been erased. Now the powerful Manticore Syndicate is rising into the void. Can the Citadel agents remember their past and muster the strength to fight?, says the official synopsis.

Chopra Jonas asked Salke about the project's development process, and the executive said it all “comes down to creative conviction.” “There is no magic algorithm that tells us whether to do something. This is art; it depends on your creative beliefs. We strive to bring content to life. In the case of Citadel, it was the belief that the IP would work outside of India and the US,” said the executive.

The first two episodes of Citadel will premiere on Prime on April 28. It stars Madden as Mason Kane, alongside Chopra Jonas as Nadia Sinh, Stanley Tucci as Bernard Orlick and Lesley Manville as Dahlia Archer. Citadel is produced by Amazon Studios and AGBO Russo Brothers.