The teaser for the upcoming crime-drama series Dabba Cartel was unveiled by Netflix on Friday. Created by Shibani Akhtar, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapur and Akanksha Seda and directed by Hitesh Bhatia, the series stars Shabana Azmi, Gajraj Rao, Jyothika, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand and Sai Tamhankar. It is produced by Excel Media and Entertainment with Ritesh Sidhwani, Farhan Akhtar, Kassim Jagmagia, Abbas Raza Khan, Shibani Akhtar and Sunitha Ram serving as executive producers.
The teaser gives a glimpse into a secret drug operation run by five women in Mumbai suburbs of Thane, led by Shabana’s character, who seems to be a veteran. The women-led cartel is being investigated for ties to an illegal pharmaceutical drug by Sai’s character who is a cop. Jyothika’s character calls their operation, ‘Narcos Thane’, a reference to the American crime drama series.
Speaking about the show, Ritesh and Farhan said in a joint statement, “Dabba Cartel marks an exciting new chapter for us as we collaborate with Netflix. This series is a dramatic tale of five everyday middle-class women reluctantly starting a drug cartel that ends up colliding with a massive pharma scandal that is under investigation. At Excel, we always try to tell stories that push creative boundaries, and Dabba Cartel is a perfect reflection of that vision.”
Monika Shergill, Vice-President - Content, Netflix India shared, “Dabba Cartel is our first major series in partnership with the powerhouse duo Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment. This is a story that follows five women from diverse backgrounds who transform a simple idea into a game-changing enterprise. At its core, Dabba Cartel explores the contrast of ambition and greed set in a middle-class housing society.”
The series is set to be released on Netflix on February 28.