"Guys throw themselves at you like you're the last plane out of Kabul."
Netflix’s Best of the Best is facing online criticism over a piece of dialogue that references the evacuation of Kabul, following the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The line appears in a scene featuring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s character Maya, who is with her childhood friend Anjali (Priyanka Kedia).
Anjali laughs as she receives a frisbee with a guy’s phone number written on it.
Maya looks over and says: “Guys throw themselves at you like you’re the last plane out of Kabul.”
The dialogue sparked debate on social media, with critics arguing that it makes light of a traumatic time in Afghanistan’s recent history.
One person criticised Hasan Minhaj, who co-wrote the film, writing:
“You should be embarrassed, Hasan Minhaj. Explain the joke.
“Is the funny part the Afghans falling from planes? The terrified families at the airport? The people desperately trying to escape the Taliban?
“Because ‘the last flight out of Kabul’ actually happened to real human beings. Our trauma isn’t your cheap punchline.”
Journalist and Afghanistan-focused storyteller Shabnam Nasimi commented:
“Minhaj said they have made the film as a celebration of South Asian American identity.
“[Lena] Khan and Minhaj are both Muslim American creatives. They both have made careers on demanding Hollywood.
“So, let’s stop lying about Brown Muslim representation. The very community who should stand up for the people of Afghanistan are making fun of them.”
A film directed by Hasan Minhaj and Lena Khan to “celebrates south asian culture” is monetising the suffering of Afghans on @netflix. One must be truly sick to the core to find amusement in someone’s tragedy. You find the “last flight from Kabul” funny? a tragedy that affected… pic.twitter.com/qTzeDe7LOC
— Bashir Gharwal ????? (@bashir_gharwall) September 21, 2026
The criticism refers to the events of August 2021, when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan and thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals gathered at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in an attempt to leave the country.
Images from the evacuation showed huge crowds attempting to reach departing aircraft, while videos captured people clinging to a US military aircraft as it took off.
The evacuation was also marred by an ISIS-K suicide bombing outside the airport, which killed civilians and US military personnel.
Best of the Best is an American comedy dance film directed by Lena Khan and co-written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam.
It centres on the competitive collegiate Bollywood-fusion dance circuit.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia star as childhood friends Maya and Anjali, who join UCLA’s Bollywood-fusion dance team and compete in a national dance competition.
The cast also features Chaneil Kular, Ankur Rathee, Lilly Singh, Janina Gavankar and Minhaj.
Best of the Best premiered on Netflix on September 18, 2026.
