Netflix’s ‘Best of the Best’: The Story Behind the 2026 Bollywood Dance Comedy

Netflix’s upcoming coming-of-age comedy “Best of the Best” made its worldwide debut on September 18, 2026, bringing the colorful, high-energy world of collegiate Bollywood-fusion dance to the mainstream screen. Directed by Lena Khan and starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the film explores sisterhood, cultural pride, and the surprisingly cutthroat reality of competitive college dance circuits.

“Best of the Best” is a Netflix coming-of-age comedy directed by Lena Khan, 2026. The film stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia as two childhood friends on a competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team at UCLA. Based on the writers’ own real-life experiences with college dancing, the film is a tribute to South Asian cultural pride and friendship and was written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam.

The film follows childhood best friends Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia) as they vie for a spot on UCLA’s competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team. In Netflix’s official synopsis, the two soon find out that the road to winning the U.S. Championship is more rowdy and cutthroat than they could have ever imagined.

The story combines the high stakes of college competition with themes of self-acceptance and the growing pains of young adulthood. The supporting cast includes Hasan Minhaj as Professor Latif, Lilly Singh, Chaneil Kular, Ankur Rathee, and Nico Greetham.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj and writer Prashanth Venkataramanujam wrote the screenplay together after battling it out on similar South Asian college dance circuits while in college. Minhaj went to the University of California Davis and Venkataramanujam to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

According to a Netflix Tudum interview, the idea came about after the two wrapped work on the political comedy series “Patriot Act” in 2020. “‘Patriot Act’ was like grad school for doomscrolling,” said Venkataramanujam. “After that we just wanted to do something fun and brought us joy… and eventually we realized all roads lead back to the dance team.”

The writers envisioned the film as a deliberate homage to the places where South Asian college students create community and express their cultural legacy through dance.

Director Lena Khan (“Flora & Ulysses,” episodes of “Never Have I Ever”) was attracted to the project’s compelling story and the opportunity to change the narrative around South Asian culture. “South Asian diasporic communities, so many people have internalized this lack of respect for their own arts,” she said. “Whereas I can go anywhere and see martial arts, and everybody loves that.

“We’re used to seeing ourselves as Apu or the funny nerdy side characters,” Khan told Variety. “We can be proud of things that we do as South Asians.”

To accomplish this, Khan introduced a rigorous physical training regimen for the cast. Many actors like Ramakrishnan had no experience in competitive dance, she pointed out. During the casting process, Khan recalled telling Ramakrishnan, “I need you to give me some Channing Tatum energy. And then I was like, nah, actually, I need you to do a Christian Bale on me. “I need a complete athletic transformation.” Before shooting, Ramakrishnan underwent months of intensive dance training.

The choreography, created by Phillip Chbeeb, Makenzie Dustma,, and co-choreographer Joya Kazi, intentionally blends several regional styles, including Kuthu, Bharatanatyam, and Pakistani-influencededance to reflect the diverse identities of the fictional team.

“Best of the Best” is yet another shift in Hollywood’s approach to South Asian storytelling. Historically, South Asian actors have been pigeonholed into stereotypical or supporting roles. The film also pushes against the industry’s usual norms by making South Asian women, layered friendships,ndships and cultural pride the main focus of a major studio comedy. Khan also consciously refrains from overexplaining cultural references for a global audience, expecting viewers to be familiar with and aware of various cultural settings.

“Best of the Best” is now streaming globally on Netflix. Netflix has not announced a sequel or spin-off. Still, the arrival of “Rana Naidu” is likely to fuel the ongoing industry discussion about funding and green-lighting more South Asian-led romantic comedies and ensemble casts.

When was “Best of the Best” released on Netflix?
“Best of the Best” premiered globally on Netflix on September 18, 2026.

Who directed and wrote “Best of the Best”?
Lena Khan directed the film, and Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam co-wrote it.

Is the Bollywood dance competition in the movie based on real life?
Yes. The writers drew directly on their own experiences competing in South Asian collegiate dance circuits at UC Davis and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and the director researched with real university dance teams.