Dabba Cartel – Season 1
Director: Hitesh Bhatia
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan, Anjali Anand, Gajraj Rao, Sai Tamhankar, Jisshu Sengupta, Bhupendra Jadawat, Lillete Dubey, Sunil Grover
Set in the bustling suburb of Thane, Mumbai, Dabba Cartel Season 1 follows five middle‑class women whose modest dabba (tiffin box) delivery business spirals into a high-stakes drug trafficking network. Under the guise of selling homemade meals, these women—Sheila (Shabana Azmi), Raji (Shalini Pandey), Varuna (Jyothika), Mala (Nimisha Sajayan), and Shahida (Anjali Anand)—discover they can smuggle addictive substances like fentanyl hidden in lunchboxes, thanks to insiders tied to VivaLife Pharmaceuticals Reddit+15Moneycontrol+15Wikipedia+15.
The catalyst is a public scandal involving deaths linked to a pharma drug labeled “Modella,” prompting an FDSCO investigation led by inspector Pathak (Gajraj Rao) and SI Preeti (Sai Tamhankar). As the women capitalize on insider information, they quickly build a clandestine empire tested by rival gangs, betrayals, and law enforcement pressure The Indian Express+9Moneycontrol+9Netflix+9.
The storytelling capitalizes on crisp performances and strong ensemble chemistry. Shabana Azmi delivers gravitas as a forceful matriarch, Jyothika plays a determined entrepreneur navigating family and criminal risks, while Nimisha Sajayan offers an emotionally volatile performance as a former maid turned co‑conspirator. The series also features notable turns by Jisshu Sengupta (as a pharma executive), Bhupendra Jadawat, Lillete Dubey, and a cameo by Sunil Grover as the drug lord Chacko Moneycontrol+7Firstpost+7Reddit+7.
Critics offered mixed reviews: The Indian Express called it a “trippy, twisted ride” with bursts of dark humour and suspense, while NDTV rated it 3/5, calling it “uneven but engrossing.” Rotten Tomatoes shows a 70% critics’ score The Indian ExpressRotten TomatoesWikipedia.
On Reddit, reception ranged from enthusiastic (“**DABBA CARTEL IS SO FUCKING GOOD… music, acting, story—all on point!”) to critical voices highlighting weak character development and a jarring tonal shift mid-season:
“The story has so much potential … but character development was poor … the viewing experience is meh” RedditReddit
“I found Dabba Cartel way too juvenile in its storytelling … writing lacks depth” Telegraph India+3Reddit+3The Indian Express+3
Still, many viewers praised the background score, ensemble cast, and the novelty of women‑led crime drama in the Indian OTT space
Set in the bustling suburb of Thane, Mumbai, Dabba Cartel Season 1 follows five middle‑class women whose modest dabba (tiffin box) delivery business spirals into a high-stakes drug trafficking network. Under the guise of selling homemade meals, these women—Sheila (Shabana Azmi), Raji (Shalini Pandey), Varuna (Jyothika), Mala (Nimisha Sajayan), and Shahida (Anjali Anand)—discover they can smuggle addictive substances like fentanyl hidden in lunchboxes, thanks to insiders tied to VivaLife Pharmaceuticals Reddit+15Moneycontrol+15Wikipedia+15.
The catalyst is a public scandal involving deaths linked to a pharma drug labeled “Modella,” prompting an FDSCO investigation led by inspector Pathak (Gajraj Rao) and SI Preeti (Sai Tamhankar). As the women capitalize on insider information, they quickly build a clandestine empire tested by rival gangs, betrayals, and law enforcement pressure The Indian Express+9Moneycontrol+9Netflix+9.
The storytelling capitalizes on crisp performances and strong ensemble chemistry. Shabana Azmi delivers gravitas as a forceful matriarch, Jyothika plays a determined entrepreneur navigating family and criminal risks, while Nimisha Sajayan offers an emotionally volatile performance as a former maid turned co‑conspirator. The series also features notable turns by Jisshu Sengupta (as a pharma executive), Bhupendra Jadawat, Lillete Dubey, and a cameo by Sunil Grover as the drug lord Chacko Moneycontrol+7Firstpost+7Reddit+7.
Critics offered mixed reviews: The Indian Express called it a “trippy, twisted ride” with bursts of dark humour and suspense, while NDTV rated it 3/5, calling it “uneven but engrossing.” Rotten Tomatoes shows a 70% critics’ score The Indian ExpressRotten TomatoesWikipedia.
On Reddit, reception ranged from enthusiastic (“**DABBA CARTEL IS SO FUCKING GOOD… music, acting, story—all on point!”) to critical voices highlighting weak character development and a jarring tonal shift mid-season:
“The story has so much potential … but character development was poor … the viewing experience is meh” RedditReddit
“I found Dabba Cartel way too juvenile in its storytelling … writing lacks depth” Telegraph India+3Reddit+3The Indian Express+3
Still, many viewers praised the background score, ensemble cast, and the novelty of women‑led crime drama in the Indian OTT space