# Cartel (2021 TV series)
**Cartel** is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language crime thriller web series created by [Ekta Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ekta-kapoor) and produced by [Balaji Telefilms](https://www.edgepedia.org/balaji-telefilms), released on 20 August 2021 on the streaming platforms [ALTBalaji](https://www.edgepedia.org/altbalaji) and MX Player.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557) • [2](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123) Its single season of 14 episodes follows the Angre family, the leading power in Mumbai's underworld, after an attack on its matriarch upsets the balance among the city's crime lords.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557) • [3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/cartel/season-1/amp_seasonreview/85367657.cms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original release | 20 August 2021, simultaneously on ALTBalaji and MX Player[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557) • [2](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123) |
| Format | 1 season, 14 episodes, about 40 minutes each, roughly 9 hours 20 minutes total[4](https://stream-tracker.com/en/serie/cartel-2021) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/cartel) |
| Genre and language | Hindi-language crime thriller, certified 16+[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557) |
| Lead cast | Supriya Pathak as Rani Mai, with Tanuj Virwani, Jitendra Joshi, and Rithvik Dhanjani; the makers described the show as featuring 137 actors[2](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123) |
| Reception | IMDb rating 8.0/10 from about 4,400 votes; Times of India critic rating 3.5/5[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15134202/ratings/) • [3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/cartel/season-1/amp_seasonreview/85367657.cms) |
| Streaming status | Last available on MX Player until October 2024; not currently streaming in India[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/cartel) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series is set in present-day Mumbai, where five crime-lords operating in different areas of the city, along with a Bollywood movie producer, dominate a low-profile underworld. All of them are governed by one figure, Rani Mai ([Supriya Pathak](https://www.edgepedia.org/supriya-pathak)), the matriarch of the Angre family and head of its gang. The gangs have kept the peace under a treaty Rani Mai put forth years earlier, and political, judicial, and corporate bodies are shown as closely intertwined with the underworld.[2](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123) • [1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557)
The triggering event is an attack on Rani Mai herself: she is shot in her own warehouse (godown) and left in a coma. With the authority that held the gangs in check suddenly absent, her three sons, Madhukar (Jitendra Joshi), Abhay ([Rithvik Dhanjani](https://www.edgepedia.org/rithvik-dhanjani)), and Arjun ([Tanuj Virwani](https://www.edgepedia.org/tanuj-virwani)), must seek revenge while keeping the family's business intact against the other crime lords waiting to usurp the throne.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/cartel/season-1/amp_seasonreview/85367657.cms) • [7](https://www.peepingmoon.com/webcast-reviews/news/58187/Cartel-Review-Supriya-Pathak-Tanuj-Virwani-Jitendra-Joshi-Ritvik-Dhanjanis-web-series-brings-a-gripping-crime-drama-with-stellar-performances.html) Reviewers noted the resemblance of this setup to [Mario Puzo](https://www.edgepedia.org/mario-puzo)'s *The Godfather*, with a wounded patriarch and heirs who must consolidate power.[7](https://www.peepingmoon.com/webcast-reviews/news/58187/Cartel-Review-Supriya-Pathak-Tanuj-Virwani-Jitendra-Joshi-Ritvik-Dhanjanis-web-series-brings-a-gripping-crime-drama-with-stellar-performances.html)
## Production and cast
Cartel was created by Ekta Kapoor and produced by Balaji Telefilms, and it marked Supriya Pathak's debut in an original web series.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557) • [2](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123) The season was written by Sambit Mishra and Monish K Talpade.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/cartel/season-1/amp_seasonreview/85367657.cms) The makers described the show as featuring 137 actors in its cast; the credited ensemble beyond the leads includes [Divya Agarwal](https://www.edgepedia.org/divya-agarwal), Girija Oak, Monica Dogra, Pranati Rai Prakash, Amey Wagh, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Mayur More, Kannan Arunachalam, and Anil George, among others.[2](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123) • [1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557)
## Reception and availability
The Times of India's review called the season a gripping gang-war saga with outstanding performances, giving it 3.5 out of 5, and noted its fast pace: practically every episode begins with a murder whose backstory unfolds afterward.[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/cartel/season-1/amp_seasonreview/85367657.cms) On IMDb the series holds a weighted rating of 8.0/10 from about 4,400 users, with an unweighted mean of 8.9; per-episode ratings across season 1 range from 7.5 to 8.4.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15134202/ratings/)
The series streamed on ALTBalaji and [MX Player](https://www.edgepedia.org/mx-player) from its August 2021 release. According to [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch), it remained available on MX Player until October 2024 and is currently unavailable to stream in India.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/cartel) It should not be confused with *Dabba Cartel*, a separate 2025 Netflix Indian crime series about five women who form their own drug cartel.[8](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dabba-cartel-release-date-news)
## References
1. [Cartel Web Series (2021) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Watch Online at ALTT (ALTBalaji), Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/cartel-web-series-105557)
2. [Cartel trailer: A crime drama filled with twists, turns, deceit, manipulation, action, OTTPlay](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/news/cartel-trailer-a-crime-drama-filled-with-twists-turns-deceit-manipulation-action/542af22937123)
3. [Cartel Season 1 Review: A gripping gang-war saga laced with some outstanding performances, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/hindi/cartel/season-1/amp_seasonreview/85367657.cms)
4. [Cartel (2021), Stream Tracker](https://stream-tracker.com/en/serie/cartel-2021)
5. [Cartel (2021) - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/cartel)
6. [Cartel (TV Series 2021) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15134202/ratings/)
7. [Cartel Review: Supriya Pathak, Tanuj Virwani, Jitendra Joshi, Rithvik Dhanjani's web series brings a gripping crime drama with stellar performances, PeepingMoon](https://www.peepingmoon.com/webcast-reviews/news/58187/Cartel-Review-Supriya-Pathak-Tanuj-Virwani-Jitendra-Joshi-Ritvik-Dhanjanis-web-series-brings-a-gripping-crime-drama-with-stellar-performances.html)
8. [Dabba Cartel: Everything You Need to Know About the Indian Crime Series, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dabba-cartel-release-date-news)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series › Premiered 2021 to 2025*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license