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At The Homegrown Festival 2025, we brought brought together the creative minds behind Netflix's Dabba Cartel to discuss its themes, challenges, and what makes it different from typical crime dramas. Moderated by Rohini Ramnathan, the panel featured Shibani Akhtar (creator and producer), Jyotika, Sai Tamhankar, and Shalini Pandey. They spoke about portraying complex female characters in a genre that rarely centres women.
The discussion unpacked the changing portrayal of women in Indian entertainment, the dynamics of crime and power, and how Dabba Cartel reimagines the Mumbai underworld. At the heart of Dabba Cartel is an unlikely drug empire run by everyday women, set against Mumbai’s intricate dabbawalla network. The show explores what happens when a group of women, each struggling with different constraints, decide to take charge of their circumstances in a way society never expects them to.
The panelists spoke about the stereotypes that female characters often face in Indian cinema — boxed into roles of the dutiful wife, the suffering mother, or the femme fatale. Crime dramas, in particular, often cast women as victims or side characters rather than the driving force. Dabba Cartel flips that narrative by making women the decision-makers in a high-stakes, dangerous world.
The panel also addressed how Mumbai itself is a crucial character in the series. The city’s evolving economy, gentrification, and social divides play a key role in shaping the motivations of their characters. The dabbawalla system — a symbol of efficiency and community — becomes the perfect cover for an underground business.
The conversation moved beyond just plot and performances to the larger message of the show. It's about agency, ambition, and the invisible labour of women. Plus, our protagonists are morally ambiguous. Unlike traditional heroes or villains, the women in Dabba Cartel aren’t framed as either completely good or bad. Their choices are shaped by necessity, circumstance, and the need to survive in a world that often overlooks them.
Dabba Cartel is an attempt to shift the needle. It's a commentary on gender, power, and survival in modern India. As The Homegrown Festival 2025 proved, audiences are ready for stories that challenge norms — and Dabba Cartel is one of them.
Dabba Cartel is now streaming on Netflix.
