Those who have seen Dabba Cartel’s trailer will agree it’s a perfect addition to Shabana Azmi’s filmography that is built on powerful roles. The actor, however, good-naturedly jokes that she had no option but to say yes to the upcoming crime drama. “My daughter-in-law [Shibani Akhtar] has written it and my son [Farhan Akhtar] is producing it. Would I dare say no?” she laughs. 

Set in Mumbai, the Netflix series revolves around five homemakers, who run a drug ring. Azmi’s Sheelaben is their leader of sorts. She says, “Jokes apart, I could see that Sheelaben had layers, which are attractive for an actor to unravel. She is an ordinary person leading a nondescript life, but then circumstances make her come back to a life she had given up 30 years ago. She has tasted blood, and starts enjoying the danger.”