Weekend Pick or Pass: Best of the Best (2026) on Moviebox

Alright, Moviebox folks. We start this weekend with Best of the Best. This is the tale of the compelling world of the college Bollywood Fusion dance scene. This movie can be your side splitting drama of the week. Best of the Best is directed by Lena Khan who shows us the ups and downs of the real world in an entertaining and wholesome manner. The run time of 1 hour 52 minutes gives you the perfect amount of time to enjoy this movie with your family and kick off your weekend in a good and light hearted manner. Now go make some popcorn!

This film focuses on two friends as they confront the world of competitive Bollywood dance, which takes place within the university. If you have seen a reality show or documentary regarding competitive dancing, you will pick up on several connections with this film. However, the focus of Best of the Best is not the dance moves and costumes. The film takes a closer look at the relationships and the joy of creating and performing. The movie follows a traditional comedy structure. This means, although things might get a little tense at times, you are never really concerned for the main characters. Overall, this film is rather simple and aims to make the audience laugh and feel good. If you are looking to watch a lighthearted film, this might be a good option.

Best of the Best Captures a Special Kind of Friendship

From the outset of Best of the Best, the friendship between the two main characters, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia, immediately wins you over. The pair have a quick wit and playful nature that leads you to believe they have been best friends since primary school. In fact, their relationship is the soul of this coming of age comedy. Ramakrishnan is deliciously awkward yet adorable and grounded by Kedia’s more reserved performance. They create fully realized characters, an important element of this friendship driven comedy, and the actresses exemplify palpable on screen chemistry. While their performances are phenomenal, the pair really excel during dance team practices and tryouts. Here the comedy arises from the characters’ collective insecurities and various methods of dealing with the situation. This film has a strong suite of smaller comedic moments, but the core of the comedy derives from the characters dealing with the various aspects of the tryouts.

The dance numbers in Bollywood rising are entertaining and colorful. Lena Khan clearly knows that when making a dance movie that shows the world of competitive dancing that the dancing better be on point and spectacular. This is one of the strongest suits of the film. The fusion style of dancing blends traditional elements of Bollywood styles with modern day hip hop and other forms of contemporary dance. The dancing elevates the characters and provides insight into their passion and commitment. It showcases their physical skill and gives the audience a sense of how they give it their all. The film does an excellent job showing the cutthroat nature of the dancing world without focusing on serious and heavy drama. It does a great job maintaining a sense of confidence and poise about it. Hasan Minhaj adds a great deal of comic relief. Being that this is a dance movie focused on young adults, it provides an honest look at ethnic and cultural pride and the importance of remembering and valuing your heritage. Overall the film effectively uses dance to express and highlight the importance of heritage and culture in a modern day and age.

While Best of the Best is generally successful in its goal of providing entertainment, there are a couple of spots where it stumbles. The second act, which covers the entirety of the dance competition, loses some of the fast-paced, hilarious edge it had at the beginning. As it covers the various ups and downs of competing, it begins to feel a bit too much like a sports movie. Of course, competing has its share of conflicts and doubts, but some of the focus of the second act feels more like it should be covered in the last act. There are a few places where you can see the movie drifting, and you find yourself waiting for a funny scene that you can tell the movie needs to have in order to stay true to its nature. The main characters are well developed and rounded, but the side characters, and some of the supporting characters in general, lack the same development. They are there to serve their purpose, and sometimes they are hardly more than a cliché. Overall, the movie is very funny and well worth the watch.

The film touches on various ideas including friendship, career, and ethnic pride. The film does not focus on any of these topics in detail. The film takes a more superficial approach and concentrates on multiple topics at once. Although this approach works for a relaxed viewing, this film will not fulfill those looking for a deep, thought-provoking film.

This film focuses more on the music and less on the overall plot, which is evident by the numerous musical numbers. Musical numbers help cover up the fact that the main characters really don’t have much to work with in terms of plot development. If you’ve seen one of these types of films, you more or less know what to expect from the others. Each scene is drawn out as much as it can be in order to create a feature length film. The strong ratings (around a 7 on average) demonstrate that the film serves its purpose of simply providing entertainment to the audience. Even if a viewer doesn’t believe the film is high art, it’s easy to appreciate the general idea and the message the film is trying to deliver. Most importantly, the film leaves the audience feeling happy and content, almost as if they got a release of built up energy. Perhaps the audience will learn a few basic dance routines, too. The films succeeds at portraying a complicated dance number, despite a few mishaps along the way.

Your Weekend Dance Card: A Lively Opener

What is your expected level of entertainment for the showing of Best of the Best? This isn't your blockbuster or your artsy film. This is your quintessential pop culture Friday night reference. It's a great choice for a get together because it contributes a carefree, lighthearted vibe. The plot doesn't require any sort of intellectual investment from the viewer, and encourages appreciation for creative editing and visually captivating sequences. A bonus is that the movie prompts an after-show discussion about which cast member you thought was the "cutie patootie" and the "groovy dancer." Overall, the movie prompts a viewing experience filled with the entertainment value of a heartfelt performance and a contagious enthusiasm. Based on all of the above, this movie is worth your Friday or any other day of the week for that matter.