A cute but slight call back to the gay rom-coms ‘90s, A Nice Indian Boy is a sort of queer My Big Fat Greek Wedding for a new generation.
Based on the play by Madhuri Shekar, the film stars Karan Soni (Deadpool) as Dr. Naveen Gavaskar, a gay Indian guy living in Hampshire, in the UK. The film opens at his sister Arundhathi’s (Sunita Mani) wedding to a stud named Neel (Sean Amsing). Jealous of the ease with which straight people seem to find their matches, Naveen bemoans his singledom to his fellow doctor Paul (Peter S. Kim), who gives him earnest but terrible dating advice.
By happenchance, he is asked out by the hospital’s hired photographer, Jay Kurundkar (Jonathan Groff), who Naveen had seen earlier at the Temple. Having been adopted by two Indian parents (now deceased), Jay is attached to Indian culture, making some things easier for the two.
See Also: ‘Queer’ Review: Lives Up to the Name – Odd and Unusual
However, the first date goes pretty poorly, with Jay bringing Naveen to his favorite Indian film and talking about how he loved the film’s themes on love, to the point he begins to sing one of the songs in the street in front of him. His sincerity is a bit much.
Naveen thinks Jay is more performative than genuine and isn’t keen on a second date despite being attracted to him.
Until, that is, Jay invites him to his photography show. He reluctantly goes, appreciating Jay’s talent and getting more insight into Jay’s life and what he stands for. Seeing him in a new light, he agrees to a second date.
Fairly quickly, their relationship blossoms to the point where it’s time for Naveen to introduce Jay to his family. His bubbly mom, Megha (Zarna Garg), is as open as she can to meet a nice Indian boy (only to be slightly disappointed in the white guy who shows up at her door.)
Father Archit (Harish Patel) is fairly quiet about the whole affair, and it’s this distance that Naveen has to try to get his father to overcome or let it overcome his ability to have a relationship with Jay.
A light chaos ensues as the family tries to open up to this romance, and Jay and Naveen navigate Naveen’s own hesitation about it.
It’s all breezy and sweet while still touching on some particularly potent issues concerning culture, expectations, acceptance of others, and acceptance of self.
At 96 minutes, however, it doesn’t give much time to explore these things, which is one of the film’s minor flaws.
The movie itself feels very much like vignettes of events. Naveen and Jay are constantly breaking up and getting back together, Jay seems to always be hurt by everything (even when it’s understandable) to the point where we can understand why Naveen might not be sure of them as a couple, and the problematic parents don’t seem so bad.
Sister Arundhathi has her own issues, so her relationship with her brother and the new guy in his life is fairly antagonistic and sometimes makes her unlikeable. Megha and Archit are as fun and moving as Naveen’s parents, but the film moves focus between the family issues and the relationship issues, and neither gets the time they deserve.
Issues are wrapped up neatly, people forgive easily, and before you know it, weddings are being planned. It’s all very charming in that way where you don’t laugh a lot, but you have a smile on your face the whole time.
The dialogue by Eric Randall and playwright Shakar has some terrifically insightful moments, such as Jay’s observation of Naveen’s entire persona: “You move through public spaces like your existence is an inconvenience, and you’re very sorry that you caused anyone to notice you at all.” That’s some great stuff and might have hit harder had we really gotten a grander look at the characters. (A limited series would have been great.) But the truths revealed are still welcome.
Directed by Roshan Sethi (Soni’s real-life partner), the film is swift and colorful and keeps the story rolling. The cast is uniformly terrific, with Soni really embodying his role as a leading man. Groff is charming as always, and Garg and Patel are a riot as the perplexed parents.
All in all, A Nice Indian Boy is a lovely addition to the gay rom-com space and rom-coms in general. While it doesn’t break entirely new ground, seeing a story from a fresh perspective is a joyous pleasure to watch.
A Nice Indian Boy opens in select theaters on April 4, 2025.
