By the end, it’s hard to peel away the stench of casual disregard in Best of the Best and see the beauty of the story that, in all other aspects, is worthwhile.
Best of the Best starts with amazing promise. The comedic beats, music, and dance are contagious. Plus, it blends cultural specificity with universal settings and emotional beats. All in all, it can be a surprisingly fun time. But there is one aspect that feels intentionally disregarded, and it’s moving past annoyance when films continue to do this. By the end, it’s hard to peel away the stench of casual disregard in Best of the Best and see the beauty of the story that, in all other aspects, is worthwhile.
Lena Khan (Flora & Ulysses, The Tiger Hunter) directs the film based on a screenplay written by Hasan Minhaj (Tron: Ares, It Ends With Us) and Prashanth Venkataramanujam (Bait, Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know). The story follows two best friends, Maya, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (The Twits, Freakier Friday), and Anjali, Priyanka Kedia (Disclosure Day, Everything to Me), who attend college. They soon join a competitive Bollywood fusion dance group. Yes, much of the beats feel incredibly familiar to Pitch Perfect sans the puke angel. However, its community humor and references to Asian families, music, applying to colleges, etc. are what make the movie a cut above in that regard.
Best of the Best Has Fantastic Cast & Characters Despite Similarities to Another Film
The opening snafu onstage and much of the movie feel beat-for-beat like Pitch Perfect. Maya is Beca; Ronak, played by Ankur Rathee (Sarabha, Babylicious), is Aubrey, and Arjun, played by Chaneil Kular (Mutiny, Silver and the Book of Dreams), is Jesse. However, the bond between Maya and Anjali stands out because the focus is not only on growing up. It’s about noticing what one refused to see. So, it separates itself and stands distinct. It’s a familiar refrain in friendship circles and even family. One person might be considered the smart, non-conforming one, while another is the beautiful one.
Oftentimes, the one deemed pretty fails to see it. Maya and Anjali are the Blair and Serena of film, but Anjali catches on quicker. Their performances are the core of what makes the movie worthwhile. The banter throughout signifies a camaraderie based in friendship, love, and culture. Unfortunately, although it showed amazing promise, it winds up a disappointment because of the lack of Black characters while it also siphons negative Black experiences for a bit.
Even When We’re Not Around…
Having no Black characters with speaking roles, yet making two Black-related jokes—plantations and Blackface—and music that has a definite hip-hop rhythm makes one wonder who the film is for. Because, especially with the inclusion of a white character that gets attention, the film feels made for a particular audience that prefers Black people remain invisible.
Making a film does not mean stereotyping Black characters, using them for a violent kill count, or, like Best of the Best, having them exist in some silent limbo brought out only in racial comedic passing. We do not have to be present in every film. However, referencing Black experiences for jokes, while incorporating our music into a Bollywood fusion dance film, is a slap in the face. Despite its resemblance to Pitch Perfect, Best of the Best could have shined brighter because of its dancing, comedy, and friendship at its core. But this aspect severely curtails that beauty, making it a film that withers as it progresses.
It’s Up to You
This film will leave some with a question mark regarding how they feel about it. Had the film not decided to include a joke cautioning an offscreen person from doing Blackface and trying to make parallels between a date auction and a plantation while having no noticeably Black characters with speaking roles, yet making sure to include a blonde-haired white man, this would be one of my favorite films of 2026. But it did. At that point, this film felt like it wanted to connect more with white viewers than myself. But others may not notice or care about that, and that’s their choice. Best of the Best had the potential for something memorable with spellbinding dancing, mostly well-timed comedic beats, a unique lens and cast chemistry but loses momentum because of how it handles other demographics.
