Aahana Swrup
The Netflix crime show ‘Dabba Cartel’ follows a dual storyline interconnected through the undercurrent of the criminal underbelly of Mumbai’s illegal drug industry. The primary storyline revolves around Raji and her mother-in-law, Sheila, who unintentionally end up in the deep end of a drug dealing business disguised as a lunchbox delivery service. As their operations grow, inviting more business partners—all middle-class women—their regular lives spiral out of control. Eventually, Raji’s Tiffin business crosses paths with the pharmaceutical scandal circling around VivaLife Pharma and its potential connection to a deadly illegal drug, Modella. The federal investigation into the latter is helmed by FDSCO’s Ajit Pathak, a by-the-book agent who is dedicated to his responsibility to unraveling the truth behind the Modella scandal. However, is there any real-life connection between this federal agent and his agency?
Ajit Pathak is a Fictional Character
For the most part, ‘Dabba Cartel’ is a fictitious show without any biographical counterparts behind it. The storyline employs some reference and influence from the reality of pharmaceutical scandals and the landscape of the Indian drug underworld. Nonetheless, the show doesn’t mine any direct inspirations in reality outside of retaining a sense of grounded authenticity through realistic context. For the same reason, Ajit Pathak—a key player in the plotline revolving around VivaLife’s fictional scandal—also remains a work of fiction. Therefore, while the audience may be able to find similarly named individuals from various professional fields in real life, there are no firm off-screen counterparts for Ajit’s character.
Ajit enters the show’s narrative as the lead federal worker who oversees the investigation into VivaLife’s connection to the Modella drug. He maintains a straight-laced personality and showcases a consistent dedication to solving his case. As such, even though he’s a stickler for rules, he doesn’t hesitate to go the extra mile—or a few hundred—to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. Furthermore, once he enters a tentative partnership with Preeti, an undervalued local cop, he begins to appreciate the value of bending the rules within an already corrupt system. Therefore, his character arc remains riveting and satisfying, highlighting the importance of honest and hardworking government workers. Yet, even though Ajit remains grounded through consistent characterization, he sports no firm roots in reality.
FDSCO is an On-screen Counterpart of the CDSCO
Although most of the narrative elements in ‘Dabba Cartel’ are fictionalized in some way or another, FDSCO—the federal agency responsible for national drug control—retains a more substantial counterpart in reality. In real life, CDSCO (The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) is the government body responsible for regulating pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetics. Therefore, in the case of a hypothetical real-life drug scandal similar to Modella, CDSCO is most likely to play an identical role to the FDSCO. However, since the on-screen regulatory body is so tightly tied to Ajit’s character and his storyline, it maintains an appropriate distance from the real-life agency in order to access the necessary creative liberties.
As such, the show has the freedom to mold the moral and ethical image of the FDSCO in service of the narrative. Even so, the on-screen depiction of the underlying corruption in FDSCO isn’t that far from reality. Much like its on-screen counterpart, CDSCO has also been found to house some inner corruption within its system. For instance, in 2024, three officials from CDSCO were arrested by Mumbai’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Unit in relation to an alleged bribery case. These arrests were made on the heels of an investigation into the organization’s Panvel office following allegations of rampant corruption.
Although this instance of corruption in CDSCO likely has no connection to the depiction of FDSCO, it offers a real-life instance that mirrors the show’s depiction of the government agency. In the show, Ajit’s branch is shown to be in cahoots with VivaLife, accepting bribes from the pharma company in exchange for dropping the investigation. This portrayal of the organization as a corrupt system further increases the narrative stakes and allows the opportunity for Ajit’s heroism and integrity to shine through. Therefore, the agency drives the storyline forward alongside establishing a sense of realism for the on-screen worldbuilding.
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