Unboxing the world and women of Dabba Cartel

Dabba Cartel is the Indian Netflix series plating up a fresh take on crime drama. When a Mumbai-based food delivery service unexpectedly turns into a drug cartel, five women are caught in a tangled web of cooking, crime and chaos. Magnifying the hustle and hardships of women in India's working class, Dilpreet Kaur Taggar lifts the lid on the series with director Hitesh Bhatia and co-creator Shibani Akhtar. Listen now on SBS Spice— available wherever you find your podcasts.

SBS Spice deep dives into Dabba Cartel, starring Shabana Azmi and Shalini Pandey in a female-led cast. Image: Supplied.

Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand in Dabba Cartel. Credit: Supplied

When you see characters in a world of crime, we don't often spend a lot of time thinking about how they got there. Taking women who aren't from a world of crime and placing them in a situation where they now have to navigate this world allowed for the layering of emotion and character depth.

Shibani Akhtar, co-creator of Dabba Cartel

Lillete Dubey in Dabba Cartel. Credit: Supplied

I think that search for identity becomes a very crucial factor for driving these women to do what they want to do. They don't want to be told at every single step how they should be living their life. This is the very harsh reality of women in this (Dabba Cartel), particularly in India.

Hitesh Bhatia, director of Dabba Cartel

SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app.

Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice for latest updates and new chillies in the pod. Tap the audio player to listen to the full episode.