India, Feb. 28 -- 'Narcos Thane' is how Jyotika's white-collar character dismissively describes the titular all-women drug empire in the show. Netflix's newest show, Dabba Cartel knows its positioning as the underdog story of narcotics. It is more Breaking Bad than Narcos but also has abundant doses of woman power. Yet, for all the buzz it generates and the premise it sets, Dabba Cartel always keeps simmering, never exploding, never fizzling. It is a breezy watch made better than it is simply by its exceptional performers. (Also read: Shabana Azmi 'really wanted' Jyotika removed from Dabba Cartel, told producers to cast someone else)

Dabba Cartel is the story of Raji (Shalini Pandey), a homemaker in Thane who runs a dabba (tiffin service...