Netflix’s Best of the Bestcaused a strong reaction online after one joke about the 2021 Kabul evacuation caught viewers’ attention.
The film is about two childhood friends, Maya and Anjali, as they become part of a Bollywood dance team at UCLA.
A line from Maya has now become the main focus of the criticism.
During a talk with a friend, Maya says, “Guys throw themselves at you like you’re the last plane out of Kabul.”
Some viewers, however, feel the joke should not have been used because it refers to very painful time for people in Afghanistan.
In August 2021, thousands of people went to Kabul airport hoping to leave the country after the Taliban took control.
The airport soon became filled with desperate crowds as some people were even seen holding onto planes as they tried to escape.
A deadly ISIS K attack at the airport also made the situation even worse.
One critic wrote to Hasan Minhaj on X, “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.”
Other viewers have also asked Netflix and the filmmakers to respond.
Best of the Best started streaming on Netflix on September 18.
2026-09-22 18:18:00
