Before the mango lassis are stirred and the dupattas have their moment in the wind, A Nice Indian Boy throws open the doors to its mandap with an irreverent swirl of sincerity and melodrama. Directed by Roshan Sethi, the film hums with the energy of two battling universes—old-school Desi family values and modern queer yearning—each trying to choreograph the perfect dance number without stepping on the other’s toes. It mostly works. Occasionally, it pirouettes into confusion.
Karan Soni leads the cast as Naveen Gavaskar, a man whose parents believe marriage is a duty—preferably arranged and heteronormative, please—while Naveen himself would prefer to eat dosa in silence rather than speak about his feelings. Soni’s performance is endearing and exasperating, which fits the tone of a character paralyzed by emotional restraint. Opposite him, Jonathan Groff plays Jay, the confident foster-child photographer whose Bollywood obsession rivals a seasoned auntie’s gossip index. Groff is breezy and charismatic, though slightly under-directed in moments that call for depth rather than sparkle.
Roshan Sethi’s direction thrives most when it embraces theatrical absurdity: dance routines in temples, strained bathroom confrontations, teary confessions served on a platter of samosas. He doesn’t quite resolve the tug-of-war between satire and sincerity but never stops cheering both sides. It’s a Bollywood-queer romcom filtered through an indie sensibility—less choreographed chaos, more devotional awkwardness. And it chooses heart over precision nearly every time.
The plot’s structure leans more toward rangoli than screenplay, scattering colors in satisfying bursts without adhering strictly to shape. A second-act lull drags when Jay and Naveen split, and Arundhathi’s surprise divorce flutters in with too little warning or payoff. But the third act rallies hard—DDLJ tribute and all—and ends with an ensemble scene so earnest it leaves you forgiving of its stumbles.
Themes of gay identity in conservative Indian families are tackled with dhol beats and dinner-table drama, never reduced to tragic tropes or clunky virtue signaling. Megha and Archit, played by Zarna Garg and Harish Patel, embody old-world discomfort morphing into unexpected acceptance. Patel’s performance sneaks up on you: silent, stern, then quietly profound. Garg delivers a climactic monologue that, while overwrought, still lands warmly.
Some casting choices sparkle. Peter S. Kim as Paul is the perfect foil to Naveen’s reserve, providing comic relief with genuine affection. Sunita Mani as Arundhathi vacillates between overacted sass and raw vulnerability—another character who finds her groove late but lands solidly. The minor characters? A delightful buffet of eccentricity. There’s a wedding planner who appears ready for RuPaul’s Drag Race, and an ancient grandmother who could out-bless Ganesh himself.
The movie falters when it tries to thread complex familial tension through sitcom setups. Naveen’s internal life is underwritten, and the script avoids the sharper edges of being closeted in a culture that measures worth in weddings and WhatsApp status updates. But when it leans into gestures—dancing fathers, bathroom breakdowns, temple meet-cutes—it sings.
Compared to the more sports-centric queer narratives (Bros, Fire Island), A Nice Indian Boy is refreshingly domestic, grounded in dinner table confrontations and overcooked curry. It isn’t trying to be edgy—it’s trying to be embraced, and it mostly succeeds.
Is the film hit and miss? Yes. But it hits like a beloved uncle’s out-of-tune karaoke—earnest, loud, and impossible not to enjoy.
Grade: B+. Streaming on Hulu.
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