Dabba Cartel

''Dabba Cartel'' is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language crime drama series. Created by Shibani Dandekar Akhtar, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapur, and Akanksha Seda, and directed by Hitesh Bhatia, the series is produced under Excel Entertainment. It stars Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan, and Anjali Anand as a group of women operating a drug cartel under the guise of a food delivery company.

The series premiered on Netflix on 28 February 2025.

Premise

''Dabba Cartel'' is set in the Mumbai suburb of Thane. The story revolves around five middle-class women running a traditional ''dabbawala'' (lunchbox) service. Unexpectedly, they become involved in a high-stakes drug operation, using lunchboxes to transport illicit goods. As their network expands, they must navigate dangerous criminals, law enforcement, and personal betrayals, all while maintaining the facade of their normal lives.

Cast

* Shabana Azmi as Sheila, Raji's mother-in-law and Moushami's best friend
* Jyothika as Varuna Panikar, Shankar's wife and owner of Sitara
* Shalini Pandey as Raji, Sheila's daughter-in-law
* Nimisha Sajayan as Mala, Varuna's ex-maid
*Prateik Pachori as Santosh Mala's boyfriend
* Anjali Anand as Shahida, a real estate broker and Preeti's love interest
* Gajraj Rao as Ajit Pathak, FDSCO inspector
* Sai Tamhankar as SI Preeti, Shahida's love interest
* Lillete Dubey as Mrs. Moushami Majumdar, Sheila's best friend
** Mansi Sehgal as Young Moushami
* Jisshu Sengupta as Shankar Dasgupta, Varuna's husband
* Bhupendra Jadawat as Hari Jagtap, Raji's husband.
* Sushmita Mukherjee as Tejaswi Tijori
* Vivek Madan as Vinay Vivalife employee
* Abhiijeet Chitre as Naresh
* Santanu Ghatak as Bhowmick Bose
* Sandesh Kulkarni as drug dealer Chavan
* Salim Husen Mulla as Ganya
* Sunil Grover as Chacko Kurian, drug lord (special appearance)

Production

Development

The series was announced by Netflix India in 2023 as part of its collaboration with Excel Entertainment. It was conceived as a crime drama exploring women’s empowerment through an unconventional narrative.

Filming

Principal photography took place in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Release

''Dabba Cartel'' was released worldwide on 28 February 2025, exclusively on Netflix.

Reception

Shubhra Gupta of ''The Indian Express'' described it as a "trippy, twisted ride," particularly highlighting the lead cast's chemistry and the show's engaging plot. Archika Khurana of ''The Times of India'' called it "an engaging crime drama with strong female leads and a gripping storyline." Margaret Lyons for ''NY Times'' wrote "This Indian Netflix series isn’t the most original thing ever, but it comes loaded with brains, humor and electric performances."
Saibal Chatterjee of ''NDTV'' gave 3 stars out of 5 and said that "Uneven but always engrossing, Dabba Cartel has the potential for a longer run. It would be interesting to watch where the cartel goes from here and what shape their dabbas take. "
A critic for ''Bollywood Hungama'' rated the season, 3 stars out of 5 and wrote "''Dabba Cartel'' is an engaging watch, thanks to its intriguing premise, strong casting, and gripping execution that holds the audience's attention from start to finish. However, the cinematic liberties in the writing slightly diminish its overall impact."

Sukanya Verma of ''Rediff.com'' rated 3/5 stars and notes "''Dabba Cartel''’s reluctant black comedy in the body of a crime thriller starts out interestingly enough to accomplish its Narcos: Thane aspirations."
Shilajit Mitra of ''The Hindu'' observed that "This Netflix series wobbles between coolness and chaos, menace and mirth, never quite finding its pitch".
Vineeta Kumar of ''India Today'' gave 2 stars out of 5 and commented that "You get enough surprises but are never taken aback by them. In the last episode, which is the longest at one hour-13 minutes, the climax is supposed to make your jaws drop. But, your jaws are only dropping from boredom as you drag yourself to finish the series with a wide yawn at the end. "
Abhimanyu Mathur of ''Hindustan Times'' said that "Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, and Nimisha Sajayan's performances aside, this desi Narcos has little to offer."
Nandini Ramnath of '' scroll.in'' said "Dabba Cartel begins well, with potentially interesting characters and a set-up within the realm of the possible. Filled mostly with plainly attired women who barely wear make-up, Dabba Cartel feels like it could actually be happening."
Lachmi Deb Roy of ''Firstpost'' gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and writes that "It has its flaws, but it’s insight into the narcos world is indeed priceless. And the realism in Dabba Cartel’s storytelling overshadows all the drawbacks."

Awards and nominations

*Won : OTTPlay Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Female) : Jyothika

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 15340954

''Dabba Cartel''
on Netflix

Hindi-language television shows
Netflix original programming
Netflix television dramas
Indian crime television series
Indian television series distributed by Netflix
2025 Indian television series debuts
Television series about illegal drug trade
Television series about organized crime
Television shows set in Mumbai