"I have to give the dues where it's deserved."
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has opened up about how South Asian representation in Hollywood has changed over the years.
She believes the industry still has more work to do despite the visible progress made so far.
Ramakrishnan was speaking to Gulf News about her new Netflix film Best of the Best.
She reflected on how representation has evolved significantly compared to where it stood before.
“In recent years, representation has gotten strides farther than where we were before.
“It’s personality first, and then the non-changeable factors of their cultural backgrounds is additional information.”
For Ramakrishnan, this progress does not mean dismissing the work that came before her.
She said: “But I have to give the dues where it’s deserved.
“We did have past representations that might not have necessarily been what we fully resonated with or saw ourselves in.
“But sometimes even just existence, though might not be reflective of your experience, still moves the needle.”
She explained that projects like Best of the Best are part of a much longer journey.
This journey has been built on the efforts of performers who pushed for South Asian stories.
She said: “A project like ours stands on the backs of all those past projects that you know paid their dues and fought the good fight to get that side role, because it all builds together.
“That’s the only way we’re going to continue.”
This idea of deeper representation is also visible in the film’s dance sequences.
Best of the Best centres on a university Bollywood fusion dance team at its core.
The film incorporates multiple South Asian dance traditions instead of treating them as just one style.
Ramakrishnan spoke about the care taken by the team while designing the choreography.
She said: “All these dance styles come from very rich cultures and histories, and our choreographers kept it real.
“We’re not settling for just waving our hands in the air anymore. That’s not happening.”
Director Lena Khan has also spoken about the multicultural spirit behind the project earlier.
She said: “At some point, this country and the world are just full of people in different cultures.”
The choreography drew from Kuthu, Bharatanatyam and Pakistani-influenced dance styles.
These styles reflect the different cultural backgrounds represented within the fictional university dance team.
The film began streaming globally on Netflix on September 18, 2026. this year.
It follows childhood friends Maya and Anjali, played by Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia, respectively.
The duo arrive at UCLA and join its competitive Bollywood fusion dance team together.
What begins as an exciting new chapter soon turns into a tougher journey for them.
The pair eventually set their sights on winning the national US championship title.
The ensemble cast includes Lilly Singh, Janina Gavankar, Ankur Rathee and Chaneil Kular among others.
Nico Greetham, Nihar Duvvuri, Shreya Navile and Amryn Khurana also feature in the film.
Tanishq Joshi, Saara Chaudry and Sasha Bhasin round off the rest of the cast.
The project marks another milestone in Ramakrishnan’s career after her breakout role.
She first rose to fame with Never Have I Ever, which was released during the COVID pandemic.
