Cartel is the story of 5 gangsters who rule the city of Mumbai. Gang wars are one of the hottest topics in which web series of late are made. If that’s your thing, you will love this thriller. There’s a lot of gunfights, slaughters, and murders are shown to keep the viewers engaged. The climax was amazing but was unexpected and has already piqued the curiosity of the viewers to see the next season.
The setup of present Mumbai where five gangsters, Gajraj, Anna, Chairman, Angre, and Khan. The entire story revolves around revenge from Rani Maai and the throne game of Aarey. Supriya Pathak who played the role of Rani Maai has done well. The gangsters have been ruling the city past 15 years but the city doesn’t see any violence is because Rani Maai had played the role of leader in separating the business of each one of the other dons. She made a clause and divided the business zone-wise so that no one else interferes in anyone else’s business.
Rani Maai herself is very powerful and she is guarded by her nephews Manu Bhau played by Jitendra Joshi and Major Bhau played by Tanuj Virwani. She relies on them more than her own son Abhay Angre played by Ritvik Dhanjani. Rani Maai is shot in her own warehouse and this is where the gang war starts again. This is where the series becomes exciting and in between adult scenes keeps the audience more than engaged. Prashant Bhagia’s direction was commendable as the taut and crisp plot of the series keeps the audience glued.
The first two episodes of Cartel Season 1 are a little boring as the introduction of all the characters takes a while. After the 4th episode the pace is picked and the illegal operation starts taking over. Along with that how all judicial, corporate, and political organizations are connected with Mafia lords. Once all characters become visible audience can easily relate to all the characters. All the episodes start with a murder and then how the story unwinds is shown in them.
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Hats off to the scriptwriters of Cartel Season 1 as one-liners and Bhai log dialects were spot on. Not just that the background music to is quite catchy. The turns and twists and unexpected climax make the series ever so exciting. The story is similar to other gang war sagas like Satya, and Mum Bhai, Cartel brings some freshness to the table. If one character stands out then that is Tanuj Virwani. Monica Dogra and Aditi Vasudev too had an impactful role. Supriya Pathak‘s limited time on screen was certainly one of the biggest let down as her meatier role has grabbed more eyeballs than others. On average, all the critics have given Cartel 3.5 stars. There are 14 episodes in all but the series still doesn’t look lengthy. It’s a gripping series and makes a perfect binge-watch for the weekend. The powerful lord mafia’s series may not be new but many fresh elements are added.
