A BOX FULL OF SURPRISES

Women are ruling the roost on Indian streaming as more female-fronted web series get greenlit and find favour.

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Netflix's latest original show, Dabba Cartel, only confirms this, as it trends #1 on the platform. Created by Shibani Akhtar and billed as 'Narcos Thane', it centres on five women who start a tiffin service, although the contents of the dabbas are anything but legal.

Streaming is also where the meatier parts are coming to actresses, regardless of their age. "It was really not thinkable, even 20 years ago, that a woman of the age that I am would play the central figure," said Shabana who, at 74, headlines the show. On OTT, content takes precedence over box office collections. The shelf life is also longer, which means "writers and producers get the courage to make different content", she added.