PremiumOTTplay Awards 2025: Dabba Cartel stars Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan reunite; Varuna madam tells Mala - 'Tujhe neeche aake award...'
OTTplay Awards 2025: The star-studded event honoured both Jyotika and Nimisha Sajayan for their remarkable performance in Dabba Cartel and Poacher, respectively.
Last Updated: 04.46 PM, Mar 29, 2025
Varuna and Mala are back together! OTTPlay Awards 2025 saw Dabba Cartel stars Jyotika and Nimisha Sajayan reunite on stage. But unlike the Netflix series that saw Varuna and Mala always at odds, the reunion of the two talented actresses was all about mutual respect, love and appreciation. The star-studded event honoured both Jyotika and Nimisha Sajayan for their remarkable performance in Dabba Cartel and Poacher, respectively.
But the icing on the cake was when Jyotika presented the Best Actor (Female) Critics Award to Nimisha Sajayan.
'Varuna meets Mala' at OTTplay Awards 2025
Jyotika and Nimisha brought back the charm and the banter of their characters during the OTTPlay Awards 2025. The lovely stars stayed in character as Varuna ‘chided’ Mala, asking her to come on stage for the award!.
“‘Aja Mala, tujhe neeche aake award doon kya?' Nimisha, my most favourite performer,” Jyotika said. And an elated Mala rushed up to the stage to get her award from Varuna madam.
Funnily on stage, Nimisha looked a bit confused for which series she had won the award! And Varuna madam kindly helped Mala, informing her it was for her performance in Poacher. Jyotika too won the Best Supporting Actress for Dabba Cartel at OTTplay Awards 2025, held in Mumbai on Saturday.
After receiving the award, Nimisha said, “First of all, I thank OTTplay for honouring me with this award. This award is truly special because I am receiving it from someone whom I truly admire and love." She also thanked her Poacher team, the director and her co-stars. She even thanked the forest personnel for all the support for the series, which delved into the serious issue of ivory poaching.
Nimisha Sajayan starred alongside Roshan Mathew and Dibyendu Bhattacharya in Poacher, which is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Richie Mehta.
Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan in Dabba Cartel
Jyotika played Varuna, the owner of Sitara, while Nimisha Sajayan essayed the role of Mala, her former maid. Varuna and Mala were often at loggerheads in the series and their interactions are some of the most interesting scenes in the Netflix series.
The recently released Netflix series Dabba Cartel featured an ensemble cast led by Shabana Azmi, Shalini Pandey, and Anjali Anand, among others.
OTTplay Awards 2025 is co-presented by Real Juice and Kuhl and powered by Stock Gro. The marquee event, held in partnership with HT City, has Flipkart Spoyl as the exclusive style partner, D Pauls as the travel partner, Amante as the premium lingerie partner, Propshop as the real estate partner, Aussie Lamb and Krishinet Fiber as the special partners, UDigital as the ISP and iPTV partner and Hyperlink as the event partner. Zoom is the TV broadcast partner.