Dabba Cartel Review: This Thane Narcos Story Doesn't Have Many High Moments

Title: Dabba Cartel

Cast: Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand

Director: Hitesh Bhatia

Where to watch: Netflix

Ratings: 2.5

Dabba Cartel Review: The day Dabba Cartel was announced we were super excited for the show as it features some of the best female actresses from the Indian film industry. The Netflix's series stars Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, and Anjali Anand in the lead roles. The trailer of the show was quite decent, and it reminded us of Hotstar's series Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo which starred Dimple Kapadia in the lead role. So, is Dabba Cartel worth a binge-watch? Find out in our review...

Dabba Cartel revolves around Raji (Shalini Pandey) and Mala (Nimisha Sajayan) who have a tiffin service business. But, due to a situation, they are forced to supply dugs through their tiffin. Soon, a real estate agent, Shahida (Anjali Anand), Raji's mother-in-law Sheila (Shabana Azmi), and Varun (Jyotika) join them. While these ladies think that this is just a phase of delivering drugs through dabbas, they start going deeper into this bad world of drug mafia.

The show is written by Vishnu Menon and Bhavna Kher, and it is directed by Hitesh Bhatia. The series starts on an interesting note, and the first three episodes are decent. However, further the episodes start getting dull and there are hardly any thrilling moments in the show that would keep you engaged.

After a certain point, the show looks stretched, and even though there are some good twists and turns, they haven't been narrated in a dramatic way to enhance the storytelling. On paper, Dabba Cartel would surely look like a perfect show about these simple women turning into drug mafias. But, Bhatia's narration isn't up to the mark.

Dabba Cartel Review - Actors' Performances

When it comes to performances, it is Shalini Pandey and Nimisha Sajayan who steal the show. They have been given some of the best scenes, and both the actresses have nailed. Sajayan, who has majorly word in Malayalam movies, will surprise one and all with her performance in the show. Shabana Azmi and Jyotika are good in their respective roles, but the show doesn't give them a chance to shine.

Anjali Anand surely grabs our attention, and even Sai Tamhankar and Gajraj Rao leave a mark. One more actor, who deserves a special mention, is Bhupendra Jadawat. He has done a wonderful job in the series. Sunil Grover once again impresses us with his amazing act.

Dabba Cartel Review - Final Verdict

Overall, Dabba Cartel fails to reach the expectations we had from it. While it has such an amazing star cast, the series doesn't have many high moments to keeps us hooked.