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Best Of The Best tells a refreshing, rare South Asian-American coming-of-age story

Bollywood meets Booksmart in Lena Khan’s flashy yet tender dance film.

By Saloni Gajjar  |  September 17, 2026 | 7:00pm
Photo: Netflix
Film Reviews Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Best Of The Best tells a refreshing, rare South Asian-American coming-of-age story

The dream sequence has long been a staple in Indian cinema, with characters frequently bursting into song and dance in their heads to convey the depth of their emotions. It’s no wonder that Netflix’s Best Of The Best pays homage to it, along with various other aspects of Bollywood and Kollywood, while still managing to be unique. At one point in director Lena Khan’s film, two childhood BFFs and new UCLA freshmen watch in awe as a group of fellow South Asian students performs on stage. Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) visualizes herself confidently leading this troupe, while Anjali (Priyanka Kedia), instantly smitten by the male lead, fantasizes about going toe-to-toe with him. Dance fuels each of their imaginations and expressions differently, but also consistently brings the longtime pals together; dance is also a highlight of Best Of The Best, such that you might start grooving to the excellent needle drops at home. On top of this, Best Of The Best is one of the rare American movies to center on fully-formed, flawed, yet deeply relatable South Asian protagonists whose culture is a major part of their lives yet doesn’t entirely define their identity.

Co-written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, Best Of The Best is authentic precisely because of the talent on and off the camera, including the roster of supporting actors who surround Maya and Anjali, from desi dance rivals and love interests to—unfortunately far too briefly—their respective mothers. The film begins months after Maya and Anjali’s disastrous high school dance performance, when they’re being dropped off to their shared dorm room. Maya’s mother encourages them to join the South Asian Student Association (SASA), while Anjali’s reminds her that to continue studying at UCLA, she needs to maintain perfect grades. Best Of The Best unpacks stereotypes associated with the diaspora, like tiger parenting and the tendency to compare kids to one another, but lacks a well-defined focus on the mother-daughter relationships à la Lady Bird. 

Instead, the film examines the impact of tiger parenting on Anjali and Maya in how they approach their newfound freedom on campus, particularly as they join UCLA Agni, the same South Asian dance troupe whose performance left them in awe. Now, their team’s goal is to compete in an intense collegiate-level championship, which is inspired by real-life dance competitions across the U.S. As is the case for most 18-year-olds with a new passion, Maya and Anjali’s lives start to revolve entirely around training for this. 

Joya Kazi’s choreography leaves a remarkable stamp all over the movie, which features various types of performances, from a Bollywood tribute or two (complete with colorful outfits and wild props) to the high-energy kuthu (a percussion-heavy South Indian dance) to more classical dancing. The cast is more than up to these Step Up-esque demands, none more so than the two stellar leads. The infectious energy between Never Have I Ever‘s Ramakrishnan and Disclosure Day‘s Kedia gives the movie its beating heart, with both actors making their characters’ camaraderie and arguments feel palpable and lived-in. You also believe that it’s essentially a matter of life-or-death to win, which pulls Anjali’s focus away from her exams and leaves Maya reeling once she realizes her peers prefer Anjali’s easygoing nature over her own outspoken attitude, causing a rift between the lifelong buddies in the process. 

As formulaic as this may seem, Best Of The Best‘s execution still makes the drama ache whenever Maya and Anjali lash out at or accidentally hurt each other. And it’s just as satisfying whenever both of them reunite, hang out, or, best of all, dance unabashedly together. Again, the credit goes to the two evocative young stars—Ramakrishnan, in particular, is a delight as she finally gets a worthy follow-up to her four-season Netflix series. The movie succeeds because it spends time with Maya and Anjali as they reckon with their culture as well, particularly as Team Agni figures out what type of performance they want to put on. Should they go all-out Bollywood, or, as Maya suggests, pay tribute to the art forms that are, at least in this part of the world, lesser known? Is nostalgia all that’s cracked up to be, or can they find room to fuse their moves with something modern? 

These thematic questions apply throughout the film. Best Of The Best is unlike many of its YA counterparts because, while its arcs seem overly familiar, it comes through a relatively rare POV: two young women who have straddled being both South Asian and American, without bending who they truly are. The movie attempts to give audiences a glimpse of something like SASA, an organization that hasn’t gotten mainstream attention just yet, but forms a crucial part of life for many in this country. Minhaj and Venkataramanujam’s electric script changes that for the better, without succumbing to surface-level clichés about their community. 

At one point, Minhaj—who also plays Professor Latif in the film—advises Maya and Anjali to bury whatever hatchet they may have, because when they look back in 15 years, it won’t matter. What does matter, however, is for these girls to be seen. Best Of The Best is going to make many feel that way, and even audiences who don’t find themselves in these characters will still enjoy spending an entertaining two hours with them. 

Director: Lena Khan
Writer: Hasan Minhaj, Prashanth Venkataramanujam
Starring: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Priyanka Kedia, Hasan Minhaj
Release Date: September 18, 2026 (Netflix)

 
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