 "Netflix & Farhan Akhtar's 'Dabba Cartel' Review: Shabana Azmi, Jyotika and others give a refreshing take on women's solidarity")
Director: Hitesh Bhatia
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Shalini Pandey, Gajraj Rao, Nimisha Sajayan, Anjali Anand, Lillete Dubey, Jisshu Sengupta, Sai Tamhankar
Netflix’s Dabba Cartel will give you an instant high. “Mamo chitte niti nritye ke je naache, Taata thoi thoi, taata thoi thoi, taata thoi thoi…,” (Who is that dancing in my mind in their own rhythm) and that’s exactly what happens with a dose of ‘modalla’ and you can imagine what it can lead to with an overdose of modalla. So, lets dive into the high-stake world of Narcos Thane.
It is truly entertaining to watch women solidarity at its best. Director Hitesh Bhatia and producer Farhan Akhtar’s thrilling new series is a joy to see women lifting each other up. _Dabba Cartel_ is a show that women of all age groups can relate to whether it is a senior woman like Shabana Azmi, middle-aged woman like Jyotika or young inseparable friends like Shalini Pandey and Nimisha Sajayan. It is a pleasure to see the growing sisterhood in Indian cinema where women are trying to uplift each other despite their differences. Not just Shabana Azmi, but the entire battalion of female actors, including the men, has given a new spin to the female narrative that we were all yearning to watch.
Truly engaging and immersive, Dabba Cartel is a series that everybody can relate to. Dabba Cartel is not an exotic tale of drug dealers having its connection in Mexico, but it is based out of Thane. It revolves around five middle-class women from Thane whose dabba business takes an extraordinary turn into a drug cartel. It gives the feeling of knowing these women. In the midst of gun giggles and bloodshed all five women from different strata of society try to lift each other up.
This Netflix series dives deep into the thrilling world of crime and survival. The series very clearly explains that once you get into this murky world of drugs, it’s nearly impossible to come out of it. Things turn even darker for all when government employee Ajit (Gajraj Rao) teams up with police inspector Preeti (Sai Tamhankar) to expose VivaLife.
A very tightly written but predictable story by Vishnu Menon shows how a simple lunch box service gets into the business of drugs and cheap thrills. From making little money to loads of it, but does this business give them the peace of mind that these five women want, or is it the old lady, Sheila (Shabana Azmi), who feels alive after digging deep into dirty money and refuses to come out of it?
Engaging, no doubt, but in one place where Dabba Cartel missed out on was to create suspense in the character played by Shabana Azmi. But still, her role is the most complex and, she has a really dark backstory too. And how can you miss the brilliant performance of Nimisha Sajayan. Those of us who had seen her earlier work in The Great Indian Kitchen based on the tragedy of domesticity know how talented she is. Here too she has nailed the role of a maid called Mala who has desires to make it big not only for herself but for her daughter. She wants to make money for three basic things: a big television, her daughter’s education and a decent house. The bond that she shares with her madam, Raji (Shalini Pandey) is way stronger than any blood ties.
But will these women stop their business after getting a little money or will they get greedy or more importantly will they be able to come out of it? Netflix’s Dabba Cartel is indeed a roller-coaster ride into the drug business set in Thane with a link to the high strung crowd of Mumbai. This series explores the extraordinary journey of middle-class household women into a world that they never thought in their wildest dreams they would be a part of. As the plot thickens, the women and their husbands find themselves entangled in something far more sinister — the murky world of Viva Life Pharmaceuticals, the main manufacturers of a drug called modalla sold in the name of painkillers.
In the midst of all these brilliant female actors like Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan, Anjali Anand, Lillete Dubey, Sai Tamhankar, you cannot miss the equally talented male craftsmen like Gajraj Rao and Jisshu Sengupta. There is a toxic masculinity in the character played by Jisshu.
Shankar (Jisshu) is a good father and a provider, but an insecure husband who is always trying hard to stifle the growth of his wife, Varuna (Jyotika). There is a lot of nasty powerplay in his company Viva Life Pharmaceuticals and his home too. No raucous, aggressive masculinity, but he never misses a chance to put down his wife and crush her self-confidence. Not exactly a villain, but definitely a cunning man who is well aware of his wife’s capabilities and is threatened by it. Though he is a modern man with a typical Bong bhodrolok look, but he can be overtly regressive especially when it comes to dealing with his wife. Jisshu indeed understood his character well; to play a villain he need not give up on his nice-guy demeanour. Normally dressed women , with no over- the- top makeup are what make the series a treat to the eyes.
The beautiful thing about series is the way the characters evolve and it’s absolutely magical to realise how we have got engrossed in their lives. It is sweet, clever, wicked and, consistently engaging, but in some parts, the series does lack the desired refinement of a fine filmmaker. 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. On the whole, the seven-episode Excel Entertainment-produced series, created by Shibani Akhtar, Gaurav Kapur, Vishnu Menon and Akanksha Seda truly deserves every bit of your time; binge-watch it or sit through all the seven-episodes at one go, just the way I did, but don’t give Netflix’s Dabba Cartel a miss!
Rating: 3 and half out of 5 stars
WATCH the trailer of Netflix ‘Dabba Cartel’ here:
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