Best of the Best: Netflix release date, cast, story and everything you need to know

Best of the Best arrives on Netflix on September 18, 2026. The film is a coming-of-age comedy set in the world of competitive college dance. It stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia, who play two childhood friends who join UCLA's competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team.The story combines friendship, dance, college life, cultural identity, ambition and self-discovery, as the leads discover that reaching the national championship will be much harder than they imagined.

When does Best of the Best premiere on Netflix?

Best of the Best premieres on Netflix on Friday, September 18, 2026.Netflix Tudum confirms this release date, and the official Netflix Mexico page also lists the production as a 2026 title.The film will be available on Netflix for platform subscribers starting from its premiere.

Release date

• Spanish title: Las mejores
• Original title: Best of the Best
• Release date: September 18, 2026
• Platform: Netflix
• Year: 2026
• Runtime: approximately 1 hour and 52 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Genre: comedy, coming-of-age and dance

Netflix Mexico also classifies the title under categories such as teen movies, college movies, comedy and sisterhood.

What is Best of the Best about?

The film follows Maya and Anjali, two best friends since childhood who arrive at UCLA and decide to join its competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team.What initially seems like an opportunity to have fun together and keep their friendship alive quickly turns into a high-stakes competition. The goal is to reach the United States national championship, but the road there is full of pressure, rivalries, ambition and unexpected situations. Netflix describes the competition as far more fierce and complicated than the leads had imagined.

Maya and Anjali, the heart of the story

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan plays Maya, while Priyanka Kedia brings Anjali to life.The relationship between the two is one of the film's main elements. The story uses their friendship to explore the changes that can occur during the early years of adulthood.The conflict isn't limited to winning a competition: it also raises the question of what happens when personal ambitions, expectations and friendships start to clash.

Bollywood-fusion dance takes center stage

One of the distinctive elements of Best of the Best is its portrayal of American college Bollywood-fusion dance teams.Netflix Tudum explains that this circuit has become a space for creative expression, cultural connection and community for many South Asian young people in the United States.The film aims to show precisely that world from the inside: intense training, choreography, competition and the pressure of trying to stand out against other teams.The project was born, in part, from its creators' personal experiences with Bollywood dance competitions during their college years. Hasan Minhaj took part in this type of activity while studying at the University of California, Davis, while Prashanth Venkataramanujam had a similar experience at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

A story about friendship and personal growth

Although dance provides the backdrop for the competition, the film has a strong coming-of-age component.Netflix Tudum defines the project as a story about sisterhood, friendship and self-acceptance. It also notes that it addresses the changes and challenges that come with entering adulthood.Because of this, the championship works as more than just a sporting goal: it's the setting in which the characters must discover what they truly want and what they're willing to sacrifice to get it.

Culture, identity and college life

The production also aims to celebrate a specific cultural experience within American college life.The creative team wanted to turn the film into a kind of tribute to the moment when many young people of South Asian descent arrive at college and find new ways to celebrate their culture through music and dance.That cultural element combines with universal themes such as friendship, academic pressure, competition and the desire to find a place of one's own.

Who is in the cast of Best of the Best?

The cast is led by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia.Netflix also confirms the participation of Ankur Rathee, Janina Gavankar, Chaneil Kular, Becky Alex, Shreya Navile, Hasan Minhaj, Lilly Singh and Nihar Duvvuri, among other performers.

Main cast members

• Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Maya.
• Priyanka Kedia as Anjali.
• Hasan Minhaj as Hamza Latif.
• Ankur Rathee.
• Chaneil Kular.
• Shreya Navile.
• Becky Alex.
• Nihar Duvvuri.
• Nico Greetham.
• Amryn Khurana.
• Tanishq Joshi.
• Lilly Singh.
• Sasha Bhasin.
• Janina Gavankar.
• Saara Chaudry.
• Kavi Ramachandran.

The full list published by Netflix Tudum includes these names and links some of them to previous productions such as Sex Education, XO, Kitty, The Pitt, The Prom and The Morning Show.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan returns to the teen genre

One of the project's biggest draws is the presence of Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, known internationally for playing Devi Vishwakumar in Never Have I Ever.Her involvement makes Best of the Best a particularly interesting production for those who follow Netflix's teen comedies and coming-of-age stories.Tudum presents the film precisely as the actress's new project following her popular run on Never Have I Ever.

Who directs the film?

The director is Lena Khan, known for directing Flora & Ulysses.Khan told Netflix Tudum that she was drawn to the script because it brought together different types of movies within a single story: a dance movie, a friendship story, spectacle and ambition.Her intention was to combine an energetic staging with an emotional story about young people discovering their identity and their aspirations.

Who wrote Best of the Best?

The screenplay was written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, collaborators on Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.Both also serve as producers through 186K Films, alongside Jonathan Eirich of Rideback. Ryan Halprin and Ellen Schwartz are credited as executive producers.The film was born after Minhaj and Venkataramanujam wanted to develop a coming-of-age college comedy starring young South Asian characters.

What tone will the film have?

Netflix presents Best of the Best as a joyful, energetic coming-of-age comedy, but the story also incorporates moments related to friendship, identity and competitive pressure.Among the influences mentioned by its creators is To All the Boys I've Loved Before, especially for its romantic, sweet and relatable tone. The director also cited Dope and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as references for her visual approach.The result aims to combine spectacle, humor and an emotional story centered on young characters.

Is Best of the Best a series or a movie?

Best of the Best is a movie, not a series.This point is important because some lists of upcoming Netflix teen releases might group it together with college-themed or coming-of-age series. The official Netflix Mexico listing identifies it as a 2026 production, with a runtime of approximately 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Where can you watch Best of the Best?

Best of the Best will be available exclusively on Netflix starting September 18, 2026.The platform already features the official title page and trailer, along with information about the cast, genre and plot.

What can we expect from the premiere?

The film brings together several elements that tend to work especially well within Netflix's teen catalog: young leads, friendship, college life, competition, music, dance, cultural identity and a coming-of-age story.Additionally, Ramakrishnan's starring role directly connects the project to the audience that followed Never Have I Ever, while Hasan Minhaj's presence adds a dimension of comedy and cultural representation.The core of the story, however, remains the relationship between Maya and Anjali and how their friendship changes once they enter a competitive environment.

Frequently asked questions about Best of the Best

When does Best of the Best premiere on Netflix?

Best of the Best premieres on September 18, 2026 on Netflix. The date is confirmed by Netflix Tudum and by the official Netflix Mexico listing.

What is Best of the Best about?

The film tells the story of two childhood friends, Maya and Anjali, who join UCLA's competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team and try to reach the national championship.

Who stars in Best of the Best?

The leads are Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Maya and Priyanka Kedia as Anjali. The cast also includes Hasan Minhaj, Ankur Rathee, Janina Gavankar, Chaneil Kular, Lilly Singh, Shreya Navile and other actors.

Is Best of the Best a Netflix series?

No. Best of the Best is a 2026 Netflix movie, with a runtime of approximately 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Who plays Maya?

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan plays Maya, one of the two friends at the heart of the story.

Who plays Anjali?

Priyanka Kedia plays Anjali, the other lead and Maya's childhood friend.

Who directs Best of the Best?

The film is directed by Lena Khan, director of Flora & Ulysses.

Who wrote Best of the Best?

The screenplay was written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, who also developed the story drawing on their own experiences and knowledge of college Bollywood dance competitions.

What kind of movie is Best of the Best?

It's a coming-of-age and dance comedy, with elements of friendship, college life, competition, cultural identity and sisterhood. Netflix Mexico also classifies it among its teen movies and college movies.

Where does the story take place?

The story unfolds around UCLA, in Los Angeles, and the competitive college Bollywood-fusion dance circuit.

How long is Best of the Best?

The Netflix listing indicates a runtime of approximately 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Does it have a trailer?

Yes. Netflix has already released the official trailer for Best of the Best, which we've included below.