World’s Best review: Manny Magnus and Utkarsh Ambudkar present a vibrant kid’s musical

3/5

Story: Prem (Manny Magnus) – a 12-year-old Math prodigy – discovers his passion for hip-hop after discovering his dead father’s memory box. While her mother wants him to focus on math, he discovers his own journey with the memories of his father, played by Utkarsh Ambudkar.

Review: Classroom dramas from across the world have been ruling the OTT space for a while now. World’s Best is one such coming-of-age tale that is dotted with upbeat raps and garnished with American Desi flavour. Director Roshan Shethi spices up an ordinary story of a math prodigy as he introduces beatboxing, rap numbers, and splashes of hip-hop glamour as Prem embarks on a journey to find his passion. 

Prem lives with his over-protective mother, Priya (Punam Patel), who wants her son to win the Mathlympics. Prem is pretty smart in his class (VII standard). So much so that he attends high school to take math lessons. His journey to be able to connect with his high school friends while dealing with the bullies in his school is one of the high points. 

Similarly, the rap numbers blended with mathematical terminologies (Pythagoras meets Dr. Seuss and so on) are captivating, especially for the younger lot. 

The problem with the film is that it gives the same vibes as the other Desis-in-America content. Over-protective mothers, smart and dork desi kids in school, and other markers follow the same pattern, and that is boring. 

Verdict: World’s Best is a short and crisp, and engaging musical for kids. It has its lows but definitely worth a shot.