Indian actor Ankur Rathee makes his Hollywood feature-film debut with Netflix’s Best of the Best, a South Asian dance drama that explores identity, ambition, friendship and the competitive world of collegiate dance teams in the US. The film, starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Priyanka Kedia, Rathee and Chaneil Kular, is currently the No. 1 movie worldwide on Netflix.Rathee, who has built a diverse body of work across Hindi cinema and streaming, plays Ronak, the charismatic and fiercely competitive captain of UCLA’s South Asian dance team. Larger than life and deeply invested in his team’s success, Ronak projects confidence and ambition while grappling with the vulnerability beneath his persona.The role also took Rathee back to his own college years. Nearly a decade older than the character he plays, the actor drew on his experience as a member of South Asian and contemporary dance teams at Princeton to channel Ronak’s youthful energy and competitive spirit.“I’ve spent the last decade building my career in India, working across film and streaming, so this opportunity feels like a meaningful evolution rather than a departure from where I come from,” Rathee says. “To make my Hollywood debut with a film that is so deeply connected to the South Asian experience makes it even more special.”He adds, “What made Ronak particularly exciting was the opportunity to revisit a part of myself I hadn’t accessed in years. I was a college dancer, I’ve lived the intensity of these teams, and I remember what it felt like to be 22 and believe that charisma could carry you through anything.”Rathee’s familiarity with South Asian culture and Bollywood also proved valuable on a production that incorporates dance, Hindi dialogue and Bollywood-inspired sequences. He also dubbed Ronak himself in Hindi and Urdu for Netflix’s international release.His casting journey was far from straightforward. Initially considered too old for the role, Rathee returned for multiple rounds of auditions, including chemistry reads with Ramakrishnan, while simultaneously shooting in Bangkok. A final improvisational chemistry read with Ramakrishnan helped cement the connection between their characters.“Working with Maitreyi was one of the most exciting parts of this experience,” Rathee says. “There was an immediate creative chemistry between us, and she brings such honesty, humor, and unbridled instinct to Maya.”For Rathee, Best of the Best also represents an opportunity to be part of a more contemporary portrayal of the South Asian diaspora. The film moves beyond familiar stereotypes to depict young South Asians as ambitious, culturally rooted and aspirational, while spotlighting the evolving world of South Asian competitive dance in the US.