Netflix has released the official trailer for Best of the Best, a comedy starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia, directed by Lena Khan.
Per the official description, “Two childhood best friends, Maya and Anjali, join UCLA’s competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, only to discover that the road to winning the U.S. Championship is far more raucous and cutthroat than they ever imagined.”
Khan described the world of intercollegiate Bollywood fusion dance as an intense arena for its participants, telling Netflix’s Tudum, “If you haven’t experienced intercollegiate Bollywood fusion dance, you have to imagine the most cutthroat, competitive, pressure-filled, creative cyclone of performing arts that you’ve seen — all while these folks are probably going to go to med school or engineering school.”
Hasan Minhaj, who co-wrote the script with Prashanth Venkataramanujam and also stars in the film, told Tudum the story reflects experiences shared by many South Asian American kids. “It’s very much a coming-of-age story of the Desi diaspora experience,” Minhaj said. “For both me and Prashanth, this is a culmination of a bunch of painfully true events that we got to witness firsthand.”
Who stars in ‘Best of the Best’?
Ramakrishnan plays Maya, alongside Kedia as Anjali. Ramakrishnan told Tudum her character’s mix of confidence and vulnerability drew her to the role: “Maya’s full of spunk. She’s got nerve. She’s quite combative, but I love her. She’s not just your surface-level hard-ass. She’s vulnerable, and she really just wants to be loved.”
Kedia said she related closely to Anjali’s arc. “I’ve been her before, and I still am her in small ways,” she told Tudum. “I think we’re meeting Anjali on this really beautiful journey where she’s learning who she is outside the roles she’s used to playing — whether that’s the obedient daughter or unconditional best friend.”
The cast also includes Ankur Rathee, Janina Gavankar, Chaneil Kular, Becky Alex, Shreya Navile and Minhaj, along with Nihar Duvvuri, Nico Greetham, Amryn Khurana, Tanishq Joshi, Lilly Singh, Saara Chaudry, Sasha Bhasin and Kavi Ramachandran.
Who is behind ‘Best of the Best’?
Khan directs from a script by Minhaj and Venkataramanujam. Jonathan Eirich produces for Rideback, with Minhaj and Venkataramanujam producing for 186k Films. Ellen H. Schwartz and Ryan Halprin executive produce. Phillip Chbeeb and Makenzie Chbeeb choreograph, with Joya Kazi as co-choreographer.
When does ‘Best of the Best’ premiere?
Best of the Best premieres Sept. 18 on Netflix.
Watch the trailer below:
Featured image photo credit: Netflix
Leave a Reply