Afghan suffering not a joke: Netflix's Best of the Best Kabul line sparks backlash
Netflix’s new comedy Best of the Best has drawn criticism online over a dialogue referencing the chaos in Kabul during the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The film, directed by Lena Khan and co-written by Hasan Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, features the line in a conversation involving Maitreyi Ramakrishnan’s character Maya.
In the scene, Maya tells a female friend, “Guys throw themselves at you like you're the last plane out of Kabul.”
The line has sparked a debate on social media, with several users calling it insensitive and arguing that it turns a traumatic episode in Afghanistan’s recent history into a casual joke.
Best of the Best, which began streaming on Netflix on September 18, follows childhood friends Maya and Anjali as they join UCLA’s competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team. The film has been described by Netflix as a coming-of-age comedy centred on friendship, sisterhood and the South Asian American experience.
Several viewers have objected to the use of the “last plane out of Kabul” reference, pointing to the events of August 2021, when thousands of Afghans tried to leave the country after the Taliban returned to power.
One X user shared a screenshot from the film and criticised Minhaj for being involved in a project that celebrates South Asian culture while, in their view, making light of the suffering of Afghans. Another user questioned the context of the joke and wrote that the reference involved real people who were trying to escape the Taliban, adding that their trauma should not be used as a punchline. "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," read the tweet.
A separate comment on Netflix’s promotional post for the film also raised the issue, referring to the images from Kabul of people desperately trying to flee the country.
Another viewer called on Netflix and the filmmakers to acknowledge the criticism and apologise to Afghans. The user described the reference as trivialising a tragedy that had a direct and indirect impact on millions of people.
One more post addressed Netflix and director Lena Khan directly, questioning the decision to include the line in the film. The user referred to the desperate scenes at Kabul airport, including people attempting to cling to departing aircraft, and argued that the suffering of Afghans should not be used for entertainment. What happened in Kabul in 2021?
The criticism centres on the events that followed the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals gathered at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul in an attempt to leave the country.
Images and videos from the period showed large crowds trying to reach departing aircraft, including footage of people clinging to a US Air Force plane during the evacuation. The chaotic evacuation also saw a deadly ISIS-K suicide bombing outside the Kabul airport.
The Kabul reference in Best of the Best has therefore prompted some viewers to question whether the event was an appropriate subject for a joke, particularly given how recent the events were.
At the time of writing, there has been no public response from Netflix, Khan or Minhaj specifically addressing the criticism over the dialogue.
Best of the Best stars Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia as Maya and Anjali, with Hasan Minhaj, Ankur Rathee, Janina Gavankar and Chaneil Kular also part of the cast. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.- EndsPublished By: shweta keshriPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 12:33 ISTALSO READ | Best of the Best review: Maitreyi, Priyanka's dance film get Bollywood right-ish
