Image courtesy of Levantine and Wayfarer Studios.
“A Nice Indian Boy” is a rom com not just about romantic love, but about loving and supporting your family, no matter its makeup, a theme that clicks on the screen.
“They don’t make them like they used to.” You’ve probably heard that said about the movies dozens of times. So, it’s endearing when something idealistic steps through the decades to bring you back to an age of more sincere filmmaking, while updating it with a brand-new story that hasn’t been granted the spotlight before.
Directed by oncologist-turned-filmmaker Roshan Sethi, “A Nice Indian Boy” traces the romance of Indian-American doctor Naveen Gavaskar (Karan Soni) and white photographer Jay Kurundkar (Jonathan Groff). The two meet for the first time praying at a shrine to Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god of success and Remover of Obstacles, and romance blossoms further when Jay is hired to take staff photos at the hospital where Naveen works. Naveen’s guarded and reticent personality meets its foil in Jay’s candid and disarming nature—a combination that offers a neat contrast and natural romantic chemistry.
“A Nice Indian Boy” is a solid rom com centered on a gay romance, steeped in Indian culture, all the while being both undoubtedly American and paying homage to Bollywood. It’s the kind of movie that, no matter how you feel about it, you’re glad it exists—but it’s much more than that.
Where “A Nice Indian Boy” excels most isn’t in its romantic storyline, but rather the interpersonal dynamics it explores. The film speedruns the standard lily pads of the meet-cute and the first date to get to the real meat of the film—the familial relationships and cultural hesitations its characters must overcome to get to the point of a happy wedding and a healthy marriage.
Naveen’s family, in particular, has hangups to unknot over the course of the film’s 90-minute runtime, with each family member portrayed beautifully by three wonderful character actors who give the best performances in the film. Naveen’s father (Harish Patel) learns to accept different ideas about love and even cooking. Naveen’s mother (Zarna Garg) learns to trust her son’s desires instead of dictating them, and Naveen’s sister (Sunita Mani) learns how to love and support others even through her own personal misfires.
At the climax of the film, at the proposal of the two leads, Jay tells Naveen, who has been avoiding being honest with his family about their relationship, that he won’t get married if Naveen’s family isn’t involved in their lives.
“I know,” says Naveen, and the camera tilts up to reveal his family, beaming, watching it all happen.
“A Nice Indian Boy” opens at Midtown Cinema in April.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.
April Events At Midtown Cinema
Potential First Run Film Openings
“Bob Trevino Likes It”
“A Nice Indian Boy”
“Ballad of Wallis Island”
“Sinners”
“The Shrouds”
“Legend of Ochi”
Trivia Night
Tuesday, April 1 and 15
Open Mic Night
Tuesday, April 8 and 22
Late Night Frights
“House of 1000 Corpses” (2003)
Rob Zombie’s over-the-top horror debut
Friday, April 4, 9:30 p.m.
“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968)
The psychological horror classic
Friday, April 25, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday Morning Cartoon
“A Goofy Movie” (1995)
A fun father-son road trip adventure
Saturday, April 5, 11 a.m.
Cult Favorites
“Gummo” (1997)
A surreal look at small-town life
Sunday, April 6, 7 p.m.
“Akira” (1988)
The groundbreaking cyberpunk anime
Friday, April 11, 9:30 p.m.
“The Fall” (2006)
A visually stunning fantasy epic
Sunday, April 13, 7 p.m.
National Theatre Live
“Fleabag”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s hit one-woman show
Sunday, April 6, 5 p.m.
“Nye”
A theatrical look at UK politician Nye Bevan
Sunday, April 13, 5 p.m.
“Dr. Strangelove”
Dark comedy about Cold War paranoia
Sunday, April 27, 5 p.m.
3rd in the Burg Movie Night
“Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” (1985)
Tim Burton’s cult comedy classic
Friday, April 18, 9:30 p.m.
Down in Front!
Comedy Riffing
“Monstrosity” (1963)
Bizarre sci-fi disaster with live riffing
Friday, April 25, 9:30 p.m.
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