File: Farhan Akhtar at Bangalore Sahitya Festival in Bengaluru on 04 December 2022. Photo Credit: Murali Kumar’s

Netflix’s new crime in comedy series Dabba CartelA gang of women, produced by Farhan Akhtar and co-produced by Shibani Akhtar, evacuated his life in Thane, cooking a storm: a Clendstine drug operation under the guise of a food-distribution business. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi plays the form of a vulgar captain of the ship, a middle -class Griselda of some words, who serves as a blade -like silence. The series is directed by Hitashi Bhatia (Sharmiji Namken) and starts streaming on Netflix on 28 February.

Hindu Farhan, Shibani, Bhatia and Netflix India boss Monica Shergill spoke at many levels Dabba Cartel. Farhan also dropped an update on his long-friendly direction Zee le zaraa, A road film with Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Katrina Kaif. Excerpt from a conversation …

Shabana Azmi jokingly said at the trailer launch that it was effectively a home operation, and she was not in a position to reject the script. Was it really so easy?

Shibani Akhtar: It was a five -minute conversation on the zoom. I don’t think she was listening to the pitch (laughing). During the lockdown, I told Javed (Akhtar) Uncle and Shabana that I was working on this series, and Javed Chacha suggested that we put Shabana. He had no ink that he was someone that we already wanted.

I know that many people would agree that I cast her because she is my mother -in -law. But it was not so. When I was younger and grew up in Australia, my only relationship with Indian cinema was through a video cassette Innocent (1983). I have seen that film 400-500 times. So I always wanted to work with him.

Farhan Akhtar: During the early days, we had a whiteboard that only read ‘Dabba Cartel’ and ‘Shabana Azmi’. Once, when the police arrived and they saw the board, we were understood to do a lot (laughing). We told them that this is just a series.

Jyothika, Anjali Anand, Shalini Pandey, Shabana Azmi, and ‘Dabba Cartel’ in Nimisha Sajyan. Photo Credit: Anu Patannik/Netflix

Her character in the series is an attractive woman with Sheela, a past. It is like a fun, front role, which are more often worthy of veterans like him.

Farhan: Shabana is a magnificent artist, and it is hearty to see actors who are at the level in their careers that are doing such soulful and weighty roles. She has not been accused again to play with three scenes with mother or kind neighbor. And I really feel that OTT platforms have a huge role in it. Hopefully, it will translate into films. If someone loves Shabana Dabba CartelThere is no reason to not put it in a feature film of this scale.

The middle-class, Maharashtrian Thane is a strange, reverse setting for a cartel show. How important was the world for the story?

Monica Shergill: Our show has been unexpectedly thrown into a world of crime everyday. There is a mother -in -law at its center that is running a gang. But you have to see them as busy, common citizens. They are hurt by crisis with a very short time to think. Our enthusiasm was to combine the real with exaggeration. It came after very intelligent and fighting and cracking the right tone.

Who was the most difficult character to cast?

Shibani: Paid, a drug inspector played by Gajraj Rao, was very different on the page. He was about to be small and had a more enthusiastic personality. But once Gajraj came on the board, we changed it. He brought his own strangeness to the part.

Hitesh: Shabana’s daughter -in -law in the series was another challenging character to cast. It required a lot of vulnerability and innocence and still there was someone who is always playing. There were many rounds of auditions and debates. Eventually, it was the audition of Shalini Pandey that assured us.

Farhan: The level of acting in general is actually really high. Bad performances are now becoming very rare. Earlier, they were all very common. I saw Black warrant Recently Netflix and I really loved performance, especially by Anurag Thakur and Rahul Bhatt. And this is one such show among many people.

Gajraj Rao in ‘Dabba Cartel’ | Photo Credit: Anu Patannik/Netflix

Vins Giligan, the manufacturer of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, has said that he now wants to write ‘good’ characters that inspire people. The current TV landscape, he feels, is associated with charismatic criminals. Was it important for you to give moral grounds to the characters in a box cartel?

Shibani: Yes, because it is not about women who are from the world of crime. There is a layering of emotions, motivations and compulsions behind his choice. At every step, they are asking: Is this the only option I have? We want you to root for these women and see them coming out from the other side. They are not doing good things, but we are still with them. This is always a difficult story.

Farhan: In all honesty, no matter what we write and say, the story never matches the fact. I have read in the news and wonder, ‘If I make a film with this scene, no one will believe it.’ My company, excel entertainment, is nothing for sensational or to be disruptive for it. It is always about telling an attractive story and extracting a human response, whether it is sympathetic or understanding or repulsion.

Hitesh: The more fine or complex a character, the better the process of the story helps.

Farhan, your director, G Le Zaraa, a road trip film, which featured Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Katrina Kaif, was delayed due to scheduling issues. Has the stars finally aligned?

Farhan: Haha, good punishment! No, no, they have not done yet. Its astronomy is a mess: My Rahu is in my Ketu (Laughing). Unfortunately, it will take longer. I am optimistic that this will happen when this will happen. There is a time for everything. I do not want to insist on this one project. I have other things to do (eg Don 3 With Ranveer Singh).

On that note, when you have your first film, Dil Chahta, you continued to improve it because Aamir Khan did not carry forward. Is something similar happening with Zaraa?

Farhan: I have learned from that experience. I have kept this file aside. When the time is right, I will go back to it and dust it and go.