Really good romantic comedies have had a tough time melting my cold, dead heart as of late. For me, the formula wore thin right around the time Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan started exchanging those pesky e-mails. Despite a resurgence in the past couple of years with such films as Anyone But You and Hit Man (Jesus! Glen Powell, slow your roll, ok?), so many have come across as too formulaic and sorely lacking in subtlety. Enter the beautifully quiet A Nice Indian Boy to reinvigorate the genre and make me fall in love with love once again.
Directed by Roshan Sethi and written by Eric Randall based on the play by Madhuri Shekar, the film tells the story of Naveen Gavaskar (Karan Soni), a gentle, awkward doctor who spends his spare time leaving awkward voicemails for guys he’s dated in the past. Although out to his liberal Indian family, which includes his mother Megha (Zarna Garg), father Archit (Harish Patel) and sister Arundhathi (Sunita Mani), the environment has never felt conducive to open discussions of his sexual orientation. Bringing home a boyfriend, for example, has always felt like a non-starter for Naveen.
Of course, all of that changes when he poses for his work pic one day and meets Jay Kurundkar (Jonathan Groff) the photographer who instantly takes a liking to him. They meet again at temple, which sparks Naveen’s interest more, and they agree to go on a date. Adopted by Indian parents and fluent in Hindi, Jay outwardly overflows with emotion in a way Naveen does not. After a night at the movies, a popular Bollywood production nicknamed DDLJ, Jay communicates his desire for a “big love” and in one of my favorite moments, sings to Naveen right there on the sidewalk. It’s a delightfully cringe moment which sends Naveen running as far away from Jay as possible. When he reports back to his gay bff Paul (a very funny Peter S. Kim), he realizes he may have walked away from a good thing. One deft montage later, and voilà…Naveen and Jay are engaged.
Now Naveen has little choice but to finally introduce a guy to his family. That it doesn’t go well should surprise no one who has ever seen a rom-com. Adhering to almost every formula ever established for the genre, our leads must remain apart until some big romantic gesture in the third act leads to a lifetime of confetti showers and kisses. While A Nice Indian Boy swims in such tropes, what sets it apart is its hushed tone and astute window into genuine emotion.
We not only experience the push and pull of our main relationship, but the story gives plenty of real estate to Naveen’s family. His sister takes part in an arranged marriage and feels shut out by the attention Naveen seems to get. Mani, who has given terrific performances in Glow, and Save Yourselves shines here as a quietly suffering sibling. Their parents, while kind and loving, struggle to give either child the support they need. It’s not that they don’t try. I defy you not to fall in love with them when they sit down to view For The Love Of DILFS and exclaim, “We watch this gay TV for you!” Garg and Patel lend wonderful support in the film, giving us fully fleshed-out characters with hopes and dreams far beyond the well-being of their children. Because of their generous spirits, I wept quietly through the end credits before feeling back to normal enough to get out of my seat.
Now, I’ll admit, I’m not the world’s biggest Jonathan Groff fan. I enjoyed his wackadoodle cameo in Hamilton, but more often than not, there’s an earnest blandness to his performances which feels like the B.R.A.T. diet of film acting to me. It’s the same here, yet he commits so fully to it, you can’t help but love him. It’s as if he knows he’s a little milquetoast and allows it to get a little weird for our viewing pleasure. Karan Soni, however, has such an understated presence, such gentle comic timing, he forces you to lean in and really see him on his own terms. You’ll never catch this character marching into a pricey department store and shouting, “Big mistake. Big. Huge!” Instead, we see the world through his soulful eyes. What easily could have been a by-the-numbers romance gets elevated by his sweet warmth. This kind story gets tremendous support from cinematographer Amy Vincent, costume fesigner Florence Barrett and production designer Liz Bischof. Though clearly made on a small budget, they create a world of intuitive framing, vibrant colors, and rooms swathed gorgeously by rays of light. By staying true to the kindness at its core, the filmmakers have given us a story of true tenderness.
By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic
A Nice Indian Boy is currently in theaters.
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