‘A Nice Indian Boy’ Review – Karan Soni & Jonathan Groff’s Charming & Subversive Romantic Comedy

Weddings tend to bring out the best, and the worst, in people. It’s a family affair that can be just as stressful as joyous. In Roshan Sethi’s queer romantic comedy, A Nice Indian Boy, an upcoming wedding stirs up trouble and widens the generational divide within the Gavaskar family.

Naveen (Karan Soni) is a successful doctor and a hopeless romantic who dreams of falling in love and bringing home a nice Indian boy his parents (Harish Patel and Zarna Garg) will approve of. When he meets Jay (Jonathan Groff), a Caucasian photographer who is highly knowledgeable about Indian culture, thanks to his adopted parents, the two quickly fall for each other. When the pair announces their engagement, which happens to coincide with Naveen’s sister, Arundhathi (Sunita Mani), announcing that she will get a divorce, a schism is created between the parents and children.

A Nice Indian Boy is a heartfelt romantic comedy that manages to subvert the expected to tell a familiar, but fresh story. Naveen’s parents are already aware and accepting of his sexuality, but more so unnerved and hurt by the fact that he doesn’t share the details of his personal life with them. As far as they know, he’s happily single, but suddenly, he’s engaged. Although coming-out stories have their place, the film wisely tosses that aside and puts the focus elsewhere.

There’s a moment toward the end of the movie during which Naveen and Arundhathi’s mother vents to them about the fact that they keep her at bay when it comes to their issues. She acknowledges that she can be judgmental and pushy, but reminds her children that she will stand behind them no matter what. There’s another scene between Naveen and his father, during which his father talks about how his father never allowed him to make his own decisions. He admires his kid’s ability to push back against traditions and is slightly envious.  I mention these scenes because they perfectly highlight the push and pull between the different generations. Although the film specifically talks about the expectations placed on individuals within Indian culture, the themes are so universal that people of all walks of life will be able to appreciate the storyline and relate.

Karan Soni is as charming as ever as Naveen. He is sarcastic, lovely, and sensitive, making his character instantly likable. His chemistry with Jonathan Groff is off the charts, and they play well off each other as love interests. Groff brings his usual charm and vulnerability to his role as Jay, a character passionate about Indian culture because his adoptive parents were Indian. He loves Naveen and respects the culture in which he grew up. Harish Patel and Zarna Garg as Naveen’s parents, Archit and Megha, also do an excellent job in their roles. Patel’s Archit is a silent, but wise father who wants the best for his son, but doesn’t always express that. Patel’s portrayal of his conflicted nature is well-done and moving. Garg’s Megha is an absolute scene-stealer for most of the film, and expertly flits between caring, but overbearing mother and unintentional comedian spouting off hilarious one-liners like it’s nothing. Garg’s comedic moments stand out and are one of the film’s best parts.

Although Sunita Mani’s Arundhathi doesn’t get nearly enough focus, the film illustrates her struggles as an ambitious and intelligent young Indian woman who initially follows the traditional path her mother wants for her before deciding to chart her way—Mani’s ability to convey her characters anguish and conflict with simple facial expressions in phenomenal. Viewers will walk away wishing the film had followed her character’s journey a little closer, considering that her life is a cautionary tale of sorts about how marrying the traditional “nice Indian boy’ can go wrong.

A Nice Indian Boy is a highly charming and subversive romantic comedy anchored by leads with great chemistry.

A Nice Indian Boy is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios.