Spoilers ahead for “Best of the Best”

Bollywood dance teams as a construct capture the intricate dynamics of growing up in two cultures at once, while notably bringing out the most drama in the heat of the moment. It’s the epitome of the South Asian diaspora experience with a careful mix of Western influences to create a unique artform. It is this dynamic that is brought to life in “Best of the Best,” which made its debut on Netflix on Sept. 18.

Through a slightly disastrous senior showcase performance (drones gone wrong) and a montage of home videos, we are introduced to long-time best friends Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia), about to start their freshman year of college at UCLA. Maya is reeling from turning into a viral internet meme after the drone incident, scared to get back into dance, and Anjali is given an ultimatum to keep her grades up—or else her mother would stop paying her tuition. Peer pressure and friendly solidarity push the pair to get back into dance and join UCLA Agni, the competition Bollywood fusion dance team. Enter politics, drama and many heated moments as the team prepares for Best of the Best—the national competition which actually existed until 2012—in hopes of finally defeating University of Southern California. So begins the coming-of-age story questioning the idea of conformity as Maya and Anjali struggle to choose between staying true to their goals or fitting in.

The film boasts a talented, predominantly South Asian cast. Ramakrishnan has starred in several movies from indie to Disney after her debut role as Devi Vishwakumar in “Never Have I Ever”—another relatable South Asian story—which wrapped up in 2023. At the same time, Kedia was just coming off of her role as Grace Zhao in Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” which came out in June. The cast comes from many different backgrounds, and many talented dancers took part in the production. Ankur Rathee, who plays team captain Ronak, was a finalist on “Dance India Dance” in 2013, and comedian and actor (and producer on “Best of the Best”). Hasan Minhaj plays the much stricter Professor Latif—an almost jarring contrast to his usual comedic persona.

The film’s foundation rests in the elaborate choreography—a feat that was not easy for Ramakrishnan and Kedia, who spent four months in a dance bootcamp, spending long hours in the dance studio to gain stamina and dance skills. The choreography was well worth that training. Paying homage to the style of choreography seen in Bollywood fusion dance competitions—even UCLA Nashaa, UCLA’s actual Bollywood dance team—with plenty of dramatic flair, every dance told a story. The first piece, Maya and Anjali’s first duet, acts as a cold open to the movie as a whole—a classical-turned-hip-hop dance to the song “Baazigar O Baazigar,” a classic by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik (and its remix). Baazigar ironically means magician in this song, and the drone setup (prior to disaster) was magical in itself.

The final dance performance at the final competition mirrors this first scene, with technical difficulties and a more confident duet. It tells the story of the Koh-i-Noor diamond and its troubled past, a theme that is more than just another big Indian wedding. The duet sequence is meaningful, set to “Kaliyaan,” by Lost Stories and Bawari Basanti, the same song used in the pair’s growing-up montage, and the lighting and movement make the performance truly breathtaking. An honorable mention must also be given to the University of Texas at Dallas team performance. Though the choreography was later proven to be copied (only in the movie, of course) there is something about a cowboy fusion dance with plenty of small, South Asian easter eggs that makes you smile.

The next honorable mention must go to the soundtrack. Beyond the carefully crafted remixes sprinkled throughout the performances, a spotlight was given to smaller South Asian artists, from “moonlight” by dhruv to “dirty” by KOAD and nostalgic Bollywood hit features, such as “Tujhe Dekha To” from the iconic “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.” If this wasn’t enough, A.R. Rahman, two time Academy Award winner and versatile composer, wrote “Aamaasee,” an original Tamil song for this movie.

Tracks feature from both North and South India in a variety of languages, adding to the diversity. This carries through to the characters as well. Maya introduces herself as Tamil, with her family from Sri Lanka, an homage to Ramakrishnan’s own family history, and a few Tamil lines even make the script. We also briefly meet Ayesha, the begrudging co-president of the South Asian Students Association who is Pakistani-American. South Asia is more than just Bollywood, and though this diversity could have been made even more clear, the window was widened ever so slightly.

That being said, there were many storylines that were left to the side. Much of the conflict of the movie is the result of a lifetime of comparisons that were internalized by each of our leads. Maya is berated by her mother for stepping out of line and being herself, and Anjali—despite being more perfect in Maya’s mother’s eyes—is under pressure to match Maya’s computer science skills and academic success. The subconscious competition created between the two friends causes many of the rifts that drive their friendship apart as the story progresses. This is a struggle that is intimately familiar to many, especially those who grew up in the South Asian community, and it was surprising at how fast this conflict got resolved for how much childhood tension went into it.

The convenient plotline also applied to Maya and Arjun’s relationship, a part of the story that truly brought nothing to the plot. Arjun’s character made for a good palette cleanse from the near cookie-cutter mindsets of the UCLA Agni team, but his chemistry with Maya got very little focus to matter, so much so that his various romantic gestures or the jealousy trope from a classic case of miscommunication don’t seem to be of consequence, and it seems to resolve itself just so that the movie could end. While an attempt was made at familiar cliches, the plot was lost in the mix.

“Best of the Best” truly stands as a love letter to the South Asian diaspora, and the coming of age trope in a college campus is the perfect way to capture the diversity of people who identify with this culture. Even if dance isn’t your thing, you will find the film to be warm with just the right bit of humor—all while telling a unique South Asian story.