We at Binged had informed our readers last year, about a new Indian Original series on Netflix from esteemed film production company, Excel Entertainment. The series is titled ‘Dabba Cartel’, and it is to be directed by the stellar Shonali Bose, who’s earlier directed acclaimed films, ‘Margarita With A Straw’ and ‘The Sky Is Pink’.
Karan Anshuman will be co-director with Shonali Bose on ‘Dabba Cartel’. He’s previously directed Mirzapur and Inside Edge for the same banner, both for Prime Video India. With ‘Dabba Cartel’, Excel Entertainment will effectively hop on to the Netflix bandwagon, having worked on several titles for Prime Video India until now, including Inside Edge, Mirzapur, Made In Heaven, Toofaan and Sharmaji Namkeen. Excel Entertainment also has ‘Queen Of The Hills’ in pre-production for Netflix.
Now, we have confirmed news on the a couple of casting choices for ‘Dabba Cartel’. The crime drama will be led by two powerful female actresses of Indian cinema – Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi and South actress Jyothika. The duo will be joined by three more female leads, as yet unnamed. Popular actor Gajraj Rao will join Shabana Azmi and Jyothika in ‘Dabba Cartel’.
The story of ‘Dabba Cartel’ centres on a group of five feisty women — all housewives — led by Shabana Azmi’s character, who begin a drug cartel from home. The series will go into production soon, and will aim for a late 2023 or early 2024 release on Netflix.