Dabba Cartel: Jyotika, Gajraj Rao and Anjali Anand on their takeaways from crime dramas and the desire to play a Lady Devdas

Written by Vishnu Menon and Bhavna Kher, Dabba Cartel explores the extraordinary journey of ordinary homemakers — how resilience, ambition and survival instincts can push them into unimaginable circumstances. Set in Thane’s suburbs, it starts as a simple lunchbox service and soon spirals into a dangerous game of crime, deception and survival.

The show, which premiered on February 28, follows the lives of five middle-class women whose life takes an unexpected turn, thrusting them into the heart of a high-stakes drug cartel.

The advantage of being part of an impressive ensemble cast is that it paves the way for fascinating collaborations. According to Anjali, if the actors are on the same page and believe in the same goal, then working together becomes a cakewalk. During the shoot, shares Jyotika, the cast was often together. “Our goal was to make the scene work,” says Shalini.

Created by Shibani Akhtar, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapur, and Akanksha Seda, the show is a celebration of the agency and ambition of women. Jyotika believes that she has been playing shades of Varuna in real life. “I used to work and then I got married. Later, I started working again. Such a character would resonate with women who are multi-tasking and have layers. I saw Varuna as a regular woman. We often aim for bigger things and forget about simpler things that would make an impact,” says the producer of the National Award-winner Soorarai Pottru (2020).

Shalini (of 2022-movie Jayeshbhai Jordaar fame), too identifies with her character’s ambition, who starts a dabba service, though subsequently the situation goes out of her control. Though the entertainment landscape today boasts of multiple female-led narratives, the actors agree that a lot remains untapped and unexplored. While Shalini believes that there should be more layered-woman characters, Sai is hopeful that as the society is undergoing a change, it will eventually reflect in our stories.

Sharing her perspective about how the women characters are presented in popular culture, Anjali says: “While growing up, I watched Devdas (2002) and wanted to be like him — a barbad (self-destructive) lover. Why can’t women be barbad in ishq (devastated in love)? We see these characters from their (male) gaze. Why are female characters not written with that kind of emotion or passion?” So, when people ask the Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani actor about her dream role, she replies: “I want to be a Lady Devdas”.

To essay the role of Pathak, an elderly investigating officer in the food and drugs corporation, Gajraj opted for a striking transformation. “I didn’t have any reference for such a character. Using the wig (for a semi-bald look) demanded preparation and elaborate make-up. However, when I looked in the mirror after that, I did not want to see Gajraj but Pathak,” the Badhaai Ho (2018) actor says.

Gajraj Rao opted for a striking transformation as he played an elderly investigating officer in the food and drugs corporation in Dabba Cartel.

The Dabba Cartel actors believe that crime drama is an effective and exciting genre. Jyotika lets out that crime-based documentary is her “favourite genre” while Anjali believes that true-crime stories are stranger than fiction. Gajaraj says that crime stories are centuries old. “A Panchatantra story which says greed is bad, first shows how a greedy person steals from a traveller and then kills him. The main intention of such stories is to hold a mirror up to the audience and make them aware of the repercussions. That’s my takeaway irrespective of whether the story wants to impart any lesson or not,”
he adds.