Potomac native stars in Netflix comedy

Shreya Navile, a Winston Churchill High School alum from Potomac, makes her Netflix debut in "Best of the Best," a Bollywood-fusion dance comedy about two friends at UCLA competing in a national dance competition.

She plays the team captain

Navile plays Deepica, the outspoken team captain of UCLA's Bollywood-fusion dance crew who acts as a foil to newcomers played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia.

“I do some villainous things, as everybody in the movie does, but I think my character doesn't really have anything to lose except this competition.”

Trained in classical Indian dance

Navile learned classical Indian dance at her mother Deepti Mukund Navile's Natyabhoomi School of Dance in Potomac, where she was the principal dancer.

Intense boot camp before filming

The cast went through about a month and a half of intense dance rehearsals in summer 2025, then shot the film in New York and New Jersey for two months. Navile, 29, called it "the best summer ever."

“It was the best summer ever. I felt like a college kid all over again.”

Almost entirely South Asian cast

"Best of the Best" is rare for Hollywood: a feature film with an almost entirely South Asian cast, with a running gag about every Bollywood team having one random white person who knows more about Indian culture than everyone else.

South Asian representation is growing

Navile credits stars like Mindy Kaling, Jameela Jamil, and Simone Ashley for paving the way. Kaling's role as Kelly Kapoor on "The Office" was the "blueprint" for Hollywood spotlighting dynamic South Asian characters.

Potomac's pipeline of performers

Navile joins a long line of successful performers from Potomac, including Sylvester Stallone, Issa Rae, Taylor Momsen, Jon Bernthal, and Lynda Carter. TV creator Darren Star based "Beverly Hills, 90210" on his Churchill High experiences.

Found her passion at Churchill

As a Churchill student, Navile sang in show choirs and performed in the school's annual "Blast" concert. She studied theater at Boston Conservatory and later appeared in an off-Broadway show directed by filmmaker Mira Nair.

“My entire career is chasing that feeling again.”

Bollywood dance was always part of her

Despite her classical training, Navile performed Bollywood dance with friends all over Churchill High. She now feels the same way about Netflix sharing the film: "It's grand, it's huge and it's epic. Here, enjoy."

“It's nothing to explain or apologize for or ask for space. It's grand, it's huge and it's epic. Here, enjoy.”