Here at , we’ve been fully on board the Roshan Sethi and Karan Soni bandwagon since 7 Days, their lockdown-set rom-com written by the duo (who are real-life partners), directed by Sethi and starring Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan. Their latest, A Nice Indian Boy, sees the pair taking on Madhuri Shekar’s play about Naveen (Soni), a gay man from a traditional Indian family who is struggling with feeling accepted by his parents, but also wanting to introduce them to his new white boyfriend Jay (Jonathan Groff). Speaking with , Soni explains how the film was a reaction to “What it feels like growing up and seeing these grand love stories, but not seeing yourself in them,” sharing that “hopefully this movie will allow more people to see themselves in this kind of story.”
A Nice Indian Boy doesn’t hide from its emotions, possessing a spirit that the star says “feels like the Bollywood version of a Hollywood movie,” as the story leans hard on Naveen and Jay’s shared love of Bollywood classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (which has a 4.0 average rating on !). “By definition, a rom-com is supposed to make us feel, and boy was I all up in my emotions with this one,” writes Shiv, while Rahul asserts, “this sweet, funny and deeply emotional rom-com isn’t just a love story; it’s a celebration of culture, identity and the beautiful chaos of family. The film brilliantly balances heartfelt moments with infectious humor, all while paying a fantastic tribute to Bollywood’s grand, romantic soul.
“The broader world’s version of love is much more unembarassed of being corny,” Sethi explains, “Americans have such a resistance to sentimentality, even though they secretly crave it.” While A Nice Indian Boy goes big and lets its characters (sometimes literally) sing out their desires, it also beautifully tackles the nuanced dimensions of love, and how it’s an action that requires effort and time. This shines through most brilliantly in the relationship between Naveen’s parents Megha and Archit, whose complicated devotion to one another is captured masterfully by Zarna Garg and Harish Patel. “Love sometimes is literally so big and profound, it feels uncontainable,” Sethi says. “Its vastness is unimaginable. And then at times it’s as simple as putting out the trash.” A Nice Indian Boy takes all of the earnest, tender sincerity and nuanced cultural themes Sethi and Soni explored in 7 Days and levels them up for something even more expansive, possessing the knowledge that love comes in all shapes and sizes, and each is as valid as the next. It’s also just really damn funny. MB
