A Nice Indian Boy

Like everyone else around him, all Naveen wants is to find someone to fall in love with. While tip-toeing around his family, colleagues, and the world, his life is changed when he meets Jay. Now, for the sake of love, Naveen must get out of his comfort zone and do what must be done.

This is a terrific romantic comedy that many people, especially young South Asians, can relate to, regardless of sexual orientation. The story explores more than the couple's relationship. It examines arranged marriages versus love marriages, the meaning of love, and the anxiety and trepidation immigrant parents feel in modern society and when connecting with their adult children. The film encompasses the entire range of human emotions while keeping it light and funny. The only drawback is that some background knowledge of Bollywood is necessary to fully appreciate it. The one-hour and thirty-six-minute investment in this film is well worth it and should be seen as soon as possible.

This movie reminds me elements from a movie I watched looonnng ago, A Touch of Pink (2004, a British film) but with little differences or depth.

If "A Touch of Pink" (2004) was a cheeky wink at cultural assimilation, then "A Nice Indian Boy" (2025) is a heartfelt embrace of it-albeit with a few awkward dance moves.

"A Touch of Pink" (2004): This film was a trailblazer, offering a rare glimpse into the life of a gay South Asian man in the early 2000s. It blended humor with poignant moments, featuring a young man navigating his identity amidst cultural expectations. The film's charm lay in its ability to balance comedy with the complexities of family and self-acceptance.

"A Nice Indian Boy" (2025): Fast forward to 2025, and the landscape has evolved. Directed by Roshan Sethi, this film delves deeper into the intricacies of identity, love, and cultural heritage. It tells the story of Naveen, a gay Indian-American doctor, and his journey to introduce his white fiancé, Jay, to his traditional family. The film is lauded for its authentic portrayal of queer South Asian experiences and its exploration of family dynamics.

While "A Touch of Pink" was groundbreaking for its time, "A Nice Indian Boy" builds upon its foundation, offering a more nuanced and contemporary perspective. The latter's inclusion of Bollywood elements and its focus on familial relationships provide a richer narrative tapestry. However, some critics note that the chemistry between the leads and pacing issues slightly detract from its potential.

Both films are significant in their own right, reflecting the evolving journey of queer South Asian representation in cinema. "A Touch of Pink" paved the way, while "A Nice Indian Boy" continues the conversation, albeit with a few stumbles along the way.

Not so sure about the "boy" part, but he's definitely Nice. Hilarious, smart and deep to boot.

I swear I spent half this movie laughing and the other, in tears. It's not the most original, funniest or heartfelt romcom I've seen...it was just plain REAL.

I had no idea former Taxi Driver of Deadpool Karan Soni could carry a movie. And while he does seem like the main character, really this was a major ensemble cast. All with perfect chemistry and, again, realism. Each character truly had to go through an arc. They did, very successfully.

No coming out story here. It's already long-since established Naveen (Karan Soni) is both single and out to his family. Eventually, he meets Jay and this would surely prove love-at-first-sight for me. Of course, there's gonna be bumps - Note: those awesome arcs.

I loved this movie. Again, it's not groundbreaking and won't change cinema. It's just incredibly funny, mostly thanks to Karan Soni and his deadpan looks that say a thousand words.

I bought this movie completely cold - with the exception of knowing it's about an Indian Family, a white boyfriend and LGBTQ+ themes. I'm glad I did. I would very much like to rewatch this multiple more times.

And I hope Karan Soni will get more big roles. He really has genius comedic timing.

***

Final Thoughts: On a personal level, yeah, yeah, it does help I already had a major crush on Karan Soni since I saw him in Deadpool 1. In fact, he was a highlight in that movie already jam-packed with hundreds of highs. He was both cute, charismatic and enormously funny. Was? Sorry, definitely still is.

I learned about this film from social media a few months ago after a film festival, so I decided to watch it on opening weekend. I expected a cute, but maybe not particularly interesting rom-com, with a dash of the immigrant family wackiness of so many comedic films. Paying for this movie ticket was the best investment in mental health of the past six months, and I'm delighted to say this movie is nearly perfect. The script is very good, based on a play that I later learned is loved by the U. S. South Asian community. The direction is simply stellar and allows the excellent writing and inspired performances to breathe and reach the audience. The delineation of the script into clear parts, each of which (in some sense) represent the typical act structures of films is clever, especially because in many ways the conflicts and resolutions happen in unexpected places within that structure. I loved the performances by the romantic couple, and the family, which is in many ways the "entity" one half of the romantic couple has to win over, and the entity the other half of the couple must be won by, if that makes any sense. For queer immigrants, or queer children of immigrants from cultures that cultural researchers call collectivist and family-centered, this film will speak loudly and make them feel seen and understood. There are some very special moments between each member of the family and the members of the romantic couple, and in some ways, the audience. In my screening, one particular speech by one family member had the whole room sniffling in suppressed tears. The best part is that all the touching parts of the film are elegant, not schmaltzy or cheesy, and they are well-balanced with hilarious moments and clever humor. The characters could have been caricatures and stereotypes, and the film revels in preventing that, creating fully realized people whose behavior and feelings are explained by motivations and experiences that are not immediately evident. Congratulations to the whole production team, cast, and everyone involved. Thank you for such a beautiful film!

What a relief to watch a queer romcom that doesn't focus specifically on coming out. At this 2025 film's outset, the parents of the main protagonist Naveen, a competent albeit socially awkward doctor, have already accepted his identity as a gay man. The challenge is that being raised in a traditional Indian family doesn't allow any latitude for open discussions of feelings much less topics like dating, relationships, or marriage. Enter Jay, a white photographer who was raised by Indian parents, and their blossoming romance hits a major snag in Naveen's inability to share anything significant about Jay to his parents. This is where Roshan Sethi's fluid, unexpected direction and Eric Randall's smart screenplay make welcome swerves into uncomfortable territory about social and cultural acceptance and unspoken familial estrangement. The cast is extremely likable starting with Karan Soni as the constantly befuddled Naveen. He has genuine chemistry with Jonathan Groff whose natural charm as Jay feeds effectively into his open-hearted character, even though his role felt somewhat underwritten. As Naveen's parents, stand-up comic Zarna Garg and deadpan Harish Patel almost steal the film with funny, heartfelt performances that pull at the heartstrings late in the film. Peter S. Kim provides welcome comic relief as Naveen's flamboyant colleague Paul, and Sunita Mani brings a nice sharpness to Naveen's resentful sister Arundhathi. Even with obvious echoes of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", the climactic wedding scene culminates into a well executed catharsis that had me genuinely teary-eyed. Highly recommended.