Dabba Cartel

Reception

Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express described the series as a "trippy, twisted ride," highlighting the lead cast's chemistry and the show's engaging plot. Archika Khurana of The Times of India called it "an engaging crime drama with strong female leads and a gripping storyline." Margaret Lyons for NY Times wrote that the series "isn’t the most original thing ever, but it comes loaded with brains, humor and electric performances." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 3 stars out of 5, stating that "Uneven but always engrossing, Dabba Cartel has the potential for a longer run." A critic for Bollywood Hungama rated the season 3 stars out of 5, noting that it is "an engaging watch, thanks to its intriguing premise, strong casting, and gripping execution," though cinematic liberties in the writing slightly diminish its impact. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated it 3/5 stars, observing that the series "starts out interestingly enough to accomplish its Narcos: Thane aspirations." Shilajit Mitra of The Hindu noted that the series "wobbles between coolness and chaos, menace and mirth, never quite finding its pitch." Vineeta Kumar of India Today gave 2 stars out of 5, commenting that the climax in the longest episode fails to surprise and leads to boredom.

Abhimanyu Mathur of Hindustan Times said that aside from performances by Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, and Nimisha Sajayan, the series has little to offer. Nandini Ramnath of scroll.in said the series begins well with potentially interesting characters and a realistic feel. Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost gave 3.5 stars out of 5, writing that its insight into the narcos world is priceless and its realism overshadows drawbacks.

Did You Know?

• The series was announced by Netflix India in 2023 as part of its collaboration with Excel Entertainment.
• Principal photography took place in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
• The last episode is the longest at one hour and 13 minutes.
• Jyothika won the OTTPlay Award for Best Supporting Actor (Female) for her role in the series.
• The series is set in the Mumbai suburb of Thane.