{
  "id": 8279457,
  "title": "The Story Behind Netflix's Rousing Bollywood Dance Comedy Best of the Best",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/the-story-behind-netflixs-rousing-bollywood-dance-comedy-best-of-the",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T17:03:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Time",
    "slug": "time",
    "url": "https://time.com/article/2026/09/16/best-of-the-best-netflix-hasan-minhaj-maitreyi-ramakrishnan/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, known for her role in Netflix's Never Have I Ever, stars in the upcoming Bollywood dance comedy, Best of the Best. The film, set to release on September 18, is described as a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of collegiate Bollywood dance competitions. Ramakrishnan auditioned for the role of Maya, a character she sees as a perfect fit for her talents. The movie reunites Ramakrishnan with her Never Have I Ever directors, Lena Khan, and co-choreographer Joya Kazi, who created a unique blend of traditional Kathak dance with more contemporary choreography. Maya, in contrast to her predecessor Devi, takes pride in her cultural identity and is prepared to compete against her childhood best friend Anjali, played by Priyanka Kedia. Both actresses underwent auditions to prove their readiness for the transition from television to feature films.",
  "summary": "Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Hasan Minhaj on the cultural specificity, friendship, and months of dance training that went into their new movie about collegiate dancers.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}