Netflix’s Much Hyped Film: Why Bollywood Fans Offended?

Best of the Best on Netflix

Netflix’s Best of the Best arrived on September 18 with an interesting premise: a Hollywood coming-of-age comedy set around the competitive world of collegiate Bollywood fusion dance.

The film is directed by Lena Khan and follows childhood friends Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia) as they join UCLA’s dance team while navigating friendship and competition.

The film has also received mixed reactions online. There is interest in seeing Hollywood move beyond using Bollywood songs as background decoration and build an entire story around a distinctly South Asian cultural space.

However, some reactions have been critical. One viewer called the film “ChatGPT coded stereotype reinforcement slop” and questioned whether this is the kind of Indian representation audiences should be proud of globally.

Another viewer pointed out the irony of a movie about Bollywood dance competitions not delivering dance sequences that they found particularly exciting.

That sentiment appears in several reactions. Viewers have noted the film’s premise, cast and cultural elements, while also pointing to its predictable storyline and the underdeveloped conflict between the two friends.

So, while Best of the Best represents an attempt to bring Bollywood culture into mainstream Hollywood storytelling, social media reactions suggest that some viewers expected the film to make greater use of its premise and cultural setting.

Maitreyi and Priyanka have nevertheless received positive attention from some viewers. Their friendship dynamic and dance performances have been among the aspects highlighted in reactions to the film.

For some viewers, Best of the Best also felt similar to the Step Up franchise. Maitreyi, meanwhile, appeared to move from Never Have I Ever into a college setting with this film.

Some viewers also felt that the makers could have given her character a different look or developed the role differently to create more variation in the film.