Anjali Anand is basking in the success of her new OTT show Dabba Cartel, streaming on Netflix. The actor played one of the leading roles, Shahida, in the crime drama. In an interview with SCREEN, Anjali revealed that she was cast in the web series by Shibani Dandekar (co-creator and producer of the show), four days before the shoot started. The actor feels that the actor who is destined to play the role gets it. She shared, "It's a very funny story about how I got Dabba Cartel. I was cast in the show four days before they started shooting. They had everything ready including the cast. Shibani saw Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani and felt that she made a mistake. She wanted me to be 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 tyre. As soon as he told me that it's a Netflix show, produced by Excel Entertainment, and I am one of the leading five ladies, I was sold, I didn't even need to read the script." Anjali added, "Shibani took my audition secretly, 1am at night. She just told everybody to trust her. The reading was also from the fifth episode, I had not read any scenes. The second I started reading, everybody looked at me and felt that Shibani was right, I am the right choice. I think I was at the right place at the right time. I am grateful that I got to be Shahida." ALSO READ | Dabba Cartel: Jyotika, Gajraj Rao and Anjali Anand on their takeaways from crime dramas and the desire to play a Lady Devdas When asked about the actor she replaced for the role, right before the shoot, she replied, "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 mai hai usi ko milega. Many things from my fate have also been given to others, but it is fine. Right place at the right time! Jiske naam ka hai, vo character usi ko milega." After being a part of the television industry, with shows like Kulfi Kumar Bajewala and Dhhai Kilo Prem, the actor transitioned to films and OTT projects. Did she face any stereotyping during her journey? "I feel that actors stereotype themselves. Whenever you switch a job, you can't expect to be at a senior post only. Yahan log bahut saal se baithe hain, you can't go and sit on their heads and say that I am a television queen in a number one show. No one cares! You are here to work so just keep your head down and keep working." She continued, "If you do good work, you will become the king or queen here as well. You can't come with a pre-conceived notion that I am such an important person, and I will only get the lead role. That should stop happening. After doing a number one TV show, I went and did Bell Bottom where I had a passing shot. I didn't care, it's a job. From there, Rocky Rani happened, and now Dabba Cartel. If I would have said, 'Who is Karan Johar? Mai toh TV par number one show karti thi', then I would be stupid." Dabba Cartel also stars Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Shalini Pandey, and Nimisha Sajayan. The web series is about a group of women operating a drug cartel under the facade of a food delivery company. It premiered on Netflix on February 28.
