Netflix Best of the Best Kabul Joke Sparks Online Backlash
A line referencing the last plane out of Kabul in Netflix’s Best of the Best has drawn criticism from viewers who say it trivialises the trauma of the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation.
Netflix’s Best of the Best has drawn criticism online over a dialogue referencing the chaotic 2021 evacuation from Kabul. The line appears during a conversation involving Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s character Maya, who says that men “throw themselves at you like you're the last plane out of Kabul.”
The film, directed by Lena Khan and co-written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, began streaming on Netflix on September 18. It follows childhood friends Maya and Anjali as they join UCLA’s competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team. Netflix describes the film as a coming-of-age comedy centred on friendship, sisterhood and self-acceptance.
The Kabul reference has prompted some viewers on social media to question whether the events of the 2021 evacuation were an appropriate subject for a joke. Critics have argued that the line reduces a traumatic episode involving people attempting to flee Afghanistan to a casual punchline.
In August 2021, thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals gathered at Kabul airport following the Taliban’s return to power, with chaotic scenes during the international evacuation. The episode included widely circulated footage of people attempting to cling to departing aircraft.
The criticism has focused specifically on the dialogue, rather than the film’s broader storyline. As of the time of publication, there was no public response from Netflix, Khan or Minhaj specifically addressing the backlash.
Best of the Best continues to stream on Netflix, with Ramakrishnan, Priyanka Kedia, Hasan Minhaj, Ankur Rathee and Janina Gavankar among its cast.
