Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during SXSW 2024 Film & TV festival. Wayfarer Studios releases “A nice Indian boy” in selected theaters on Friday 4 April.
I did it not have Jonathan Groff singing “Tujhe Dekha to Yeh Jana Sanam” On my 2024 bingo card. Broadway -actor humbly enters Indian culture in Roshan Sethi“A nice Indian boy,” who repeatedly connects back to Aditya Chopra’s “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” – The movie that originated in “Tujhe Dekha” (and happens to be on his way to Broadway, not so that groft would know anything about it …).
Written by Eric Randall (and based on Madhuri Shekar’s game), “A nice Indian boy” is about undermining stereotypes about Indian culture, both inside and outside society. The title itself is a cheeky twist on every aunt’s favorite resignation: that when a girl is the right age, she or her family will find her a “nice Indian boy” to settle down with.
This time, however, the protagonist Naveen (Karan Soni) is the one who plans to bring home a nice Indian boy, which is probably not what all these aunts depicted. But “a nice Indian boy” is pleased to defy expectations, even though it follows a traditional love story. For starters, Nave’s parents know that he is gay, who immediately releases the film from covering an upcoming story along with everything else it tries to achieve. And when it comes to the nice Indian boy … Meet Jay (Groff).
Broken’s character was adopted by Indian parents, grew up and prayed to Ganesh (whom he pronounces correctly, Ga-Naysh and not Ga -Nesh) and loving “Ddlj.” Again, “A nice Indian boy”, Smart Smarts the audience an acquaintance and taxing story; Naveen does not have to explain its culture and upbringing to the enemy charismatic photographer (they are even from the same part of India, both with Marathi surname) and after the above song on a truly memorable first date becomes things serious.
But where “a nice Indian boy” tramples old territory is when Naveen has to tell his parents, played by Hindi movie veteran Harish Patel and comedian Zarna Garg in his function debut (and a perfect distillation on the screen), what happens in his romantic life. The first generation of children who keep their personal life from their parents is not new, but it is complicated by race, sexuality and the seemingly perfect life of the Nave’s sister Arundhathi’s history feels like a thought, but one was understandably written in Use co -star, Sunita Mani.
Soni brings his fine -handed difficulty To Naveen, carries a layer of discomfort even when he hits milestones that should give relief, like coming out and falling in love. His skilled timing gives most laughs in the movie, along with Garg’s urgent awareness of how to meet a punchline (and later evokes tears).
As Sethi’s “7 days”, The cultural touch in “A Nice Indian boy” never feels like a thought. From the surnames to the licensed songs and images from “DDLJ” to the strategically placed song of Out-and-pride Ali SethiThis is not a South Asian film made with the sole purpose of pedestrian its South Asian Ness. Sethi’s passion for love stories are inherently intertwined in his love for Indian culture and film, and now with his queer identity when he applies the potent of predictable storytelling techniques.
Bollywood Love is not just for straight people (something that the Indian industry is just a little dismantling), and in “a nice Indian boy”, Naveen realizes that it’s not just for Indian people. When love is so great, it extends over cultures and generations, all unites – just like “Ddlj.”
Rating: B+
“A Nice Indian Boy” premiered at SXSW Film & TV Festival 2024. The film opens on April 4, 2025.
