A Nice Indian Boy Film Review: Endlessly Energetic

A Nice Indian Boy is a delightful, refreshing, and absolutely hilarious modern rom-com with the perfect balance between heart and humour.

This irresistible gem from director Roshan Sethi and screenwriter Eric Randall, which is based on Madhuri Shekar’s original play, has all the makings of a modern romantic comedy classic.

We meet 20-something Naveen (Karan Soni, Deadpool) at his sister’s wedding, sipping beer sadly, gazing longingly at a hunky man on the dancefloor, and patiently putting up with the same statement from every other guest: “You’re next!” His sister, Arundhathi (Sunita Mani, GLOW), has found her nice Indian boy, Naveen ponders, so when will he find his? His parents, father Archit (Harish Patel, Andaz Apna Apna, Eternals) and Megha (Zarna Garg), know Naveen is gay but, as he puts it in this initial voiceover, they have never seen him “do gay things”. It’s a lighthearted, flamboyant opening, but this line hints at uncomfortable conversations that will need to come to light at some point.

It doesn’t take too long for Naveen to meet his nice Indian boy. The one slight issue he foresees for his parents? His new boyfriend is white; Jay Kurundkar (Jonathan Groff, The Matrix Resurrections) was adopted as a child by an Indian couple. The initial meet-cute is a little hurried, but that’s only because A Nice Indian Boy is less about the exact origins of Naveen and Jay’s relationship and more about the early months of it, in which the two men navigate family difficulties and other emotional blockages. Their relationship feels a little underdeveloped, but as a viewer, you never doubt their love and chemistry.

They say opposites attract, and in this case, it couldn’t be more accurate: Naveen is shy and awkward whilst Goff is louder and more forward. He takes Naveen to watch a romantic Bollywood film on their first date, talks about what his perfect wedding would look like, and even sings loudly in the street, much to Naveen’s horror. Soni and Goff develop their onscreen chemistry swiftly and brilliantly. The former is deeply endearing in his shuffling, quiet demeanour, which forms from deep-rooted insecurities about his sexuality and his reluctance to be himself with people, whilst the latter is a barrel of energy and emotion.

Goff’s character essentially represents the mood and style of A Nice Indian Boy: loud, proud, and unapologetic. Simultaneously, both the film and Jay are a celebration of love as well as the flamboyance and melodrama of Bollywood cinema. This pacey, bright tone is sustained by Raashi Kulkarni’s (World’s Best) upbeat, knowingly sickly sentimental original score and some terrific lighting, giving A Nice Indian Boy a sparkling warmth in every scene. Everything about the film is a delight, and even when Randall’s screenplay shifts into the more serious aspects of the story, the movement is seamless.

So the rom is a winner, but the com of A Nice Indian Boy is also a shining light. Peter S. Kim (Fairfax) as Paul, Naveen’s friend from work, is a laugh-a-minute supporting character, whilst Megha’s increasingly bizarre conversation points—she asks Naveen if he has seen the film Milk—brilliantly skirt the line between comedy and drama. Whilst the story initially seems stretched thin, it eventually forms together via superb character work into something dense and deeply moving. And as so many great Bollywood films and Indian weddings do, A Nice Indian Boy concludes with a dynamite dance scene. It’s impossible not to be swept away by this conclusion as well as by what has preceded it.

A Nice Indian Boy will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15-17, 2024. Read our list of 30 movies to watch at the 2024 BFI London Film Festival!