Dabba Cartel: Shibani Dandekar reveals Javed Akhtar suggested Shabana Azmi for show; ‘I don’t think he had any inclination…’

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Known Indian actress Shabana Azmi made an appearance on her daughter-in-law Shibani Dandekar‘s program, Dabba Cartel. In a recent chat, Shibani disclosed that Javed Akhtar recommended Shabana for the show. She also mentioned, “I believe he wasn’t aware she was already someone we were interested in.

During an interview with The Hindu, Shibani Dandekar shared that Shabana Azmi had agreed to join Dabba Cartel before hearing the entire pitch. It appears that during their short five-minute Zoom chat, Shabana seemed more like she wasn’t fully focusing on the details.

In the midst of our lockdown period, I had shared the details of a project with both Javed Akhtar and Shabana. Later on, when I brought it up with my father-in-law, he proposed the idea of casting Shabana, apparently unbeknownst to him that she was already under consideration for the role. This is based on what I understand from Shibani’s earlier statements.

Shibani mentioned that Shabana seemed keen on participating in the project, and it’s possible she had already decided to do so before their conversation happened.

Shibani made it clear that Shabana Azmi didn’t get a role in Dabba Cartel due to their familial ties, but rather because of the significant influence Shabana had on her during her childhood years. She reminisced about her past in Australia, where her only link to Bollywood was a VHS tape of Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom, which she would rewatch frequently.

Shibani made it clear that Azmi’s role in Dabba Cartel wasn’t due to their familial ties. Instead, she acknowledged her long-standing appreciation for Shabana, which dated back to her childhood, despite being with Farhan Akhtar during the casting process.

Growing up, she had limited experience with Indian cinema, but one video tape – Masoom – became her constant companion, having watched it an estimated 400 to 500 times.

In a delightful twist of fate, it turned out that working with Shabana had long been Shibani’s dream. What added to the serendipity was the fact that they eventually became family, making her participation in the show an especially perfect fit. You can catch “Dabba Cartel” streaming on Netflix. The series also stars Anjali Anand, Shalini Pandey, Gajraj Rao, Jyotika, and others in significant roles.

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2025-03-06 15:23