Meet the Best of the Best Cast and Characters As Netflix’s New Dance Movie Takes Over

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan takes on the lead role of Maya. In Best of the Best, Maya “graduates from high school adolescence into the growing pains of young adulthood.” Ramakrishnan, best known for her role in Never Have I Ever, told Tudum, “I feel like coming back to Netflix has the same energy as Pitbull’s I’m Back Tour. I’m so grateful to be able to bring Maya to life because there’s so much to work with. She’s equally confident as she is anxious and vulnerable, and she’s someone who is so creative and so self-assured while also being a little bit of a house of cards.”

Everything to Me star Priyanka Kedia plays Anjali, Maya’s lifelong friend. Kedia described the bond between the two friends, saying, “Maya relies on Anjali for unconditional support, and Anjali relies on Maya to break out of her shell and try new things. They’re almost like two halves of a whole. They push and ground each other.” According to Netflix, Anjali “grew up a strict rule-follower and wants to find her own way.”

Hasan Minhaj steps into the role of Hamza Latif, a professor. Minhaj not only stars in the film but also co-wrote the script with Prashanth Venkataramanujam. He described Best of the Best as “a film about sisterhood, friendship, and self-acceptance,” as quoted by Tudum. He explained, “We thought [Best of the Best] could be a love letter to this seminal moment where many people from the South Asian community go to college, and they have this coming-of-age experience where not only their culture is celebrated, but a specific homage to Bollywood dance is celebrated.”

Chaneil Kular plays the character of Arjun in the dance comedy. Arjun is a student and the romantic interest of Maya. Netflix has not revealed much about his character, so you’ll have to watch the movie to find out more. Meanwhile, Kular is best known for his roles in S*x Education, Mutiny, Silver and the Book of Dreams, Accused, The Revenge Club, Black Narcissus, and Protection.

Ankur Rathee appears in the movie as Ronak, the college dance team captain and Maya’s dance partner. Rathee recently sat down with Grazia for an interview, where he explained his character in his own words. He said, “I play that quintessential popular brown boy we all knew in college. The one who got all the girls and everyone thought he walked on water. That said, Ronak has heart and his passion for dance knows no bounds. As he approaches graduation, it dawns on him that his college celebritydom will be coming to an end. Before he leaves, he needs to win Best of the Best to prove, most of all to himself, that it wasn’t all for nothing and that he matters.”