- By Aarushi Raina
- Wed, 26 Mar 2025 02:13 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Anjali Anand is currently basking in the success of her crime drama series Dabba Cartel. She has garnered praise for her role as Shahida in the show, which has been streaming on Netflix since February 28. Recently, the actress revealed that she joined the cast of the crime drama just four days before the shoot started.
Anjali Anand, who stars in Dabba Cartel alongside Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Shalini Pandey, and Nimisha Sajayan in the lead roles, portrays one of five middle-class women who run a tiffin service business. Their lives take an unexpected turn when they enter the world of a drug cartel. The show is created by Akanksha Seda, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapoor, and Shibani Akhtar.
Talking about how she got the role in Dabba Cartel, Anjali shared in an interview with Screen, “It’s a very funny story about how I got Dabba Cartel. I was cast in the show just four days before they started shooting. They had everything ready, including the cast."
Anjali's performance in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani impressed the creators and helped her land the role in Dabba Cartel. The actress stated, "Shibani saw Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani and felt that she had made a mistake. She wanted me to play Shahida. She told everybody, but nobody listened to her. She secretly made the casting director call me. I was on my way to Mumbai and had a flat tire. As soon as he told me it was a Netflix show, produced by Excel Entertainment, and that I was one of the leading five ladies, I was sold. I didn’t even need to read the script."
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Anjali revealed that she gave her audition for Dabba Cartel at 1 a.m. "Shibani took my audition secretly at 1 a.m. She just told everybody to trust her. The reading was from the fifth episode, and I hadn’t read any scenes. The second I started reading, everybody looked at me and felt that Shibani was right—I was the right choice. I think I was at the right place at the right time. I am grateful that I got to play Shahida," the actress added.
When asked whom Anjali replaced in the original cast, she responded, "I had no idea, I didn’t even ask. It has happened to me as well—I was cast and then someone else was taken. It usually always happens, but it’s fine. Jiske naseeb mein hai, usi ko milega. Many things from my fate have also been given to others, but it’s fine. Right place, right time! Jiske naam ka hai, vo character usi ko milega."
Anjali Anand has been part of the television industry and the face of many TV shows like Kulfi Kumar Bajewala, Dil Bekaraar, and Dhhai Kilo Prem. After TV, she transitioned to films and OTT shows, where her acting continues to receive praise.