What starts off as a dabbawalla home business in Thane’s suburbs spirals into a drug operation in this new thriller ‘Dabba Cartel’, monikered ‘Narcos Thane’.
A homemaker, Raji (Shalini Pandey), her house help, Mala (Nimisha Sajayan), Raji’s mother-in-law, Sheela (Shabana Azmi), a former corporate employee and now a failed business owner, Varuna (Jyotika), and house broker agent, Shahida (Anjali Anand) join together to sell drugs in tiffin boxes in this somewhat new attempt at a very desi crime thriller.
Initially, it was Mala’s boyfriend who dragged her into the drug business and instructed her to sell drugs by placing them in the tiffin boxes. And then, later on, once the others find out, one by one, everyone joins in for some reason. Some, like Sheela, are thrilled to be back to the good old days (when you had a thrill from what you did), and others, like Mala and Varuna, are in desperate need of money.
In this Netflix series, created by Shibani Akhtar and Gaurav Kapur, there are women in the foreground—and men are backgrounded to take on the role of narcissistic husbands and manipulative partners. In this sense, the ‘Dabba Cartel’ is refreshing.
Unlike all male-centric stories, where violence takes the main frame, the female-oriented storyline in ‘Dabba Cartel’ makes us think of things women do to navigate crimes and desperation.
However, there are a little too many things going on in ‘Dabba Cartel’–and in parts, that is good, and in others, that’s just too chaotic. There is a story of a big pharma company, VivaLife, that makes a lot of illegal drugs, which is now being investigated by a government official (Gajraj Rao). I was particularly impressed with his meek character and the nuance in his body mannerisms (it just goes on to show how some of the low-ranked, honest bureaucrats circle between offices to catch criminals with no luck).
Then, we are introduced to a certain disgruntled employee, Bhowmick, who helps Sheela and the gang make a new party drug (Mithai, which is a mix of Modella and the food colour) to sell. And then, there is a mystery Chacko, who has been hyped all too much throughout, only to be introduced in the sixth (?) or seventh (the final) episode of the first season. In between all this, there is a lesbian relationship brewing between Shahida and the police officer, who is helping the government official to track down the drug mafia.
In addition, Mala is married to a German guy who works at a big pharma company. Turns out, Sheela has a background story to her—and she was a gangster at one point in time. However, each of these stories is connected. Now, it seems, in the first season, all that we see towards the end is so much of the story-building leading up to a new season—and we might as well wait for the new season to know what awaits the ‘Dabba Cartel’.
The star-studded actors are no doubt stellar in their performances. Shabana Azmi is brilliant. So is Gajraj Rao. Nimisha Sajayan, as always, is also effortless. Others, Shalini Pandey and Jyotika shine in their roles. The story is well-paced and keeps you guessing.
‘Dabba Cartel’ masterfully blends crime, drama, and emotions. It weaves emotions within the narrative of friendship, ambition, ego clashes, and social expectations. It also tells the story of how we both navigate them–and struggle to find reasons and feelings to navigate them. In any case, women running a cartel in the most unlikely places that they control, such as tiffin boxes, is just too brilliant a synopsis for any story.
‘Dabba Cartel’ is binge-worthy. So, if you are looking to watch a crime thriller series on Netflix this weekend, this one could sit well with your popcorn 🙂