Maya and Anjali’s friendship faces unexpected pressure when competition exposes years of insecurity, resentment and unresolved differences between them.

The film blends South Asian identity, college life, dance competitions and family expectations into a familiar coming-of-age story.

An emotional finale brings Maya and Anjali together again while giving their friendship and personal journeys satisfying closure.

‘Best of the Best’, directed by Lena Khan and written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, follows childhood best friends Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia), who arrive at UCLA hoping to leave their high-school embarrassment behind. The two join Team Agni, a competitive Bollywood-fusion dance troupe, but what begins as a chance to prove themselves soon puts their friendship under pressure.

Maya is still haunted by a high-school dance performance that went wrong and left her with the humiliating nickname ‘Drone Strike girl.’ Determined to change how people see her, she pushes Anjali to audition for Agni. The team is preparing for the national ‘Best of the Best’ collegiate dance championship, and Maya quickly becomes invested in helping them win.

Anjali, however, has her own problems. Her mother expects her to maintain strong grades, while Anjali becomes increasingly involved with the dance team and develops an interest in its captain, Ronak (Ankur Rathee).

Ramakrishnan brings plenty of energy to Maya, but the character is insecure which becomes increasingly important as the story progresses. Maya is competitive and outspoken, but much of that behavior comes from years of feeling like Anjali is the more naturally popular and accepted friend.

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