Roshan Sethi’s ‘A Nice Indian Boy’ is a Vibrant Addition to Cinema’s Romantic Landscape, Critics Say
- “The film ultimately celebrates not just romantic love but also cultural understanding and personal authenticity.”
“A Nice Indian Boy” offers a refreshing twist on the romantic comedy genre, bringing cultural nuance and queer representation to familiar tropes of love, family, and belonging. Director Roshan Sethi crafts a warm-hearted story that respectfully navigates both convention and innovation.
The film follows Naveen (Karan Soni), a gay Indian doctor whose reserved nature and discomfort with himself have left him with “negative game” in the dating world. When he meets Jay (Jonathan Groff), a white photographer raised by Indian adoptive parents, their chemistry is immediate and compelling. Their whirlwind romance faces complications when Naveen struggles to introduce his “white artist orphan” fiancé to his traditional family.
The New York Times says, “Thanks to the instant chemistry between Groff and Soni, whose wit and vulnerability make him a natural rom-com lead, the film pulls off their whirlwind romance. Glances between them convey Naveen’s internal struggle to be open to his family about Jay, and Jay’s corresponding frustration with Naveen’s hesitation. True to the genre, there are heartbreaking fallouts, followed by tender reconciliations.”
Soni and Groff shine as the central couple, with Soni particularly impressive in conveying Naveen’s vulnerability beneath his awkwardness. Groff brings an open-hearted charm to Jay, a character longing for the sense of community he found in his adoptive Indian family. Their connection feels genuine rather than manufactured through typical romantic montages.
The supporting cast elevates the film further, with standout performances from Zarna Garg as Naveen’s mother Megha and Sunita Mani as his sister Arundhathi. The family dynamics add depth to what could have been a straightforward romance, exploring how Naveen’s freedom to choose his partner affects his sister, who entered an arranged marriage.
Sethi’s direction includes thoughtful touches that honor rom-com conventions while enriching them with cultural specificity. The film cleverly references Bollywood classics, particularly “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” (DDLJ), both as a plot point and stylistic inspiration. Despite following the expected rom-com beats—from meet-cute to breakup to reconciliation—the film feels fresh through its cultural context and character development.
“A Nice Indian Boy” succeeds by balancing its adherence to genre conventions with meaningful representation. It provides Naveen, a gay character, with rare authority on matters of true love within a traditional family structure. The film ultimately celebrates not just romantic love but also cultural understanding and personal authenticity, delivering the joyful, heartwarming experience audiences crave from romantic comedies while breaking new ground in representation.
In an ecstatic review, Nell Minow writes in rogerebert.com, I cannot pretend to be entirely objective about “A Nice Indian Boy.” I’m a huge fan of everyone in the cast, including “Hamilton” star Jonathan Groff. Seeing him in a romance is a rare pleasure. I love stand-up phenomenon Zarna Garg, and it is a treat to see her in her first feature film. And it is an enormous delight to see Karan Soni, best known as the taxi driver fanboy in the “Deadpool” movies and Sunita Mani, also most often in smaller roles, here given significant, layered characters, which they play with exceptional heart and sensitivity in an endearing story of romance and family and dancing at Indian weddings. I enjoyed it immensely.
“In this vibrant addition to cinema’s romantic landscape, love isn’t the only winner: cultural understanding and the freedom to choose your own path triumph as well, Chris Azzopardi writes in The Times.