Shabana Azmi on Dabba Cartel's success: ‘Women usually play the victim or seductress'

Shabana Azmi plays the stoic Sheilaben in the series

Rich praise has been a frequent feature in Shabana Azmi's career. It's not surprising then that the actor's latest release, Dabba Cartel, continues to be appreciated over a month after it began streaming. "The response I'm personally receiving is overwhelming," she exclaims.

With Dabba Cartel, director Hitesh Bhatia has given us an unusual crime drama where five women - portrayed by Azmi, Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey and Anjali Anand - ingeniously run a drug cartel under the guise of a food delivery service. Azmi shares, "The answer to its success lies in its writing. Plus, the director was clear in his vision. Also, a special thumbs up to Shibani [Akhtar, creator] who didn't ask for favours just because she is Farhan's [Akhtar, producer] wife." Tell her it's being referred to as the Indian version of Breaking Bad, and she says, "I haven't seen Breaking Bad. So, I can't comment."

The Netflix series' potential was not lost on her when she read the script. But the senior actor considered it a gamble. "We never thought that a women-led crime drama would become so popular. It was a gamble that paid off. I call it a gamble because there are no women-led crime drama series [in India]. Women are largely relegated to playing the victim, moll or seductress."

Leading the drug ring is Azmi's Sheilaben, a cold and calculative woman. Was it tough to play such a restrained character, emoting through one's silences? "Experience helps an actor to calibrate the performance. I worked on the look and added the Gujarati dialect to make her more interesting. The most challenging bit was that I had to play her differently from Godmother [1999]. Sheila's power is more muted," she reflects.

With Dabba Cartel, her daughter-in-law Shibani has forayed into writing. The Akhtar fold is populated with writers, beginning with Javed Akhtar, his filmmaker-children Farhan and Zoya as well as their mother Honey Irani. Asked if she has ever considered penning a script, Azmi says, "I can never write. It's a specialised skill and not everyone can do it, although many try it almost in a cavalier fashion. I come from a writer's family and have the highest regard for writers. I'm happy being an actor."

Season two, please

With Dabba Cartel ending on a cliffhanger, Shabana Azmi says a second season is probable. "It would be interesting to carry the stories of all these characters forward. The story lends itself to a second season," she says.