A Nice Indian Boy Review: Queer Rom-Com Delights

Theatrical Movie Review - Romantic Comedy

A NICE INDIAN BOY movie poster.

Interracial marriage has been legal for less than 60 years, and gay marriage has only been legal for a decade, so there can still be stigma surrounding those relationships. In Roshan Sethi’s new film, A Nice Indian Boy, the two meet, creating a story filled with romance, drama, and a healthy amount of humor.

Naveen (Karan Soni) is at his sister Arundhathi’s (Sunita Mani) wedding. Everyone keeps telling him, “You’re next!” but as a gay man in a fairly traditional Indian family, he is unsure if that is true. Instead, he is concerned that he will just be single forever. However, when the cute photographer, Jay (Jonathan Groff), asks him out, he agrees. On their first date to a classic Bollywood film, Naveen discovers that Jay was adopted by Indian parents, so even though he is a white man, he understands the customs of Naveen’s family. As they fall in love and begin to think about a future together, they must still grapple with the reality of being an interracial, gay couple in a family that still values tradition.

Courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios - Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, Jonathan Groff as Jay Kurundkar in A NICE INDIAN BOY

A Nice Indian Boy is a delightful, heartfelt rom-com that weaves together a lovely romantic story with a touching family story. It misses some of the meet-cute that you might expect from a romantic comedy, but even without that, there is so much chemistry between them that you don’t miss it much. And as we move towards a wedding, the family aspect seamlessly weaves into the romance in a way that gives this a sense of richness that is endearing in the best way.

The story does, at times, take on a little bit much. There is a thread with Arundhathi that does benefit the overall story about tradition and the ways that it changes, but often more slowly for women. Still, it feels like it isn’t explored deeply enough to make it worth the time in a film that is only 96 minutes long.

While there are some minor issues with the sheer volume of stories being told in A Nice Indian Boy, the performances are so charming that you don’t miss some of the more traditional story beats from a rom-com. Groff and Soni work beautifully on screen, their two comedy styles complementing one another perfectly. Zarna Garg and Harish Patel are incredible as Naveen’s parents, adding so much soul to this film. And Peter S. Kim, as Naveen’s best friend, Paul, adds so much humor to the movie.

Courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios - Harish Patel as Archit Gavaskar, Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, Zarna Garg as Megha Gavaskar, Sunita Mani as Arundhathi Gavaskar in A NICE INDIAN BOY

It can be easy to assume that because something has been fixed legally, it is no longer a concern for people, but when prejudices or even just traditions have existed for a long time, changing our minds can still take time beyond the issue being resolved. Even though it is a largely light-hearted romantic comedy, A Nice Indian Boy isn’t afraid to wrestle with those topics. The end result is a film that helps us see how love between a couple and in a family can help break down those walls.

Rating: 4/5

This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on April 13, 2025.