A Nice Indian Boy: Hollywood quietly dropped a gay love story with a 98% Rotten Tomatoes and no one noticed | Hollywood News

Roshan Sethi’s directorial, A Nice Indian Boy, is a queer love story inspired Madhuri Shekar’s play, adapted Eric Randall. The film released worldwide on April 4. And while Hollywood critics have practically written love letters to this tender American rom-com blending Bollywood elements, praising its refreshing take on LGBTQ+ narratives, the story somehow flew under the radar in India. A Nice Indian Boy, starring Jay (Jonathan Groff) and Naveen (Karan Soni), currently holds a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes with an 8 IMDb rating. And here’s everything you need to know.
What’s the storyline of  A Nice Indian Boy
The movie is a boy-love romantic comedy that blends two very different worlds. The romance blossoms in five stages. After “The Boy,” each chapter takes you deeper into their relationship, they fall in love, meet families, deal with culture clashes, last-minute engagement drama, and a big wedding day. The show follows Naveen, a gay Indian-American boy who finally sees himself in a love story where he doesn’t have to choose between being Indian and being himself. Jay teaches Naveen to accept and love himself. And the end, even Naveen becomes a voice of quiet power in his traditional family. The film first premiered at the South Southwest Film Festival in March 2024.
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The movie spotlights the stereotype, especially the non-acceptance that, technically on surface, is a ‘yes,’ but practically, in minds, that unspoken ‘no’ is still there. In the movie as well, Naveen’s parents know he’s gay, but they’ve never seen him be gay. Never seen him with a boyfriend. This unspoken gap makes Naveen feel like maybe he’ll never have the kind of wedding his siblings had. But his beliefs change when he meets Jay Kurundkar (played Jonathan Groff), a white guy who was adopted and raised Indian parents.
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The story has beautifully chosen its filming locations and tries hard to be as vocal as possible while treading carefully on sensitive ground. The first time Jay and Naveen meet is at a Hindu temple, in front of a Ganesh idol. They don’t even talk. Just silent glances. But when Jay rings the bell while leaving, it’s like something magical starts. (Much like SRK’s violin playing moment in Mai Hoon Na). Having said that, the film also spills its Bollywood magic. Jay invites Naveen to a movie screening—DDLJ, a 90s Bollywood classic. Each part feels like a thoughtful approach. The actors aren’t just two people dating—they’re learning to mix into each other’s lives, cultures, and fears. Jay has no family left, but Naveen’s family brings enough drama for everyone.  At one point, everything seems to fall apart. Misunderstandings. Cultural confusion. Emotional walls. It looks like the wedding might never happen. Against all odds, they do make it to the mandap. 
Speaking of the cast, Zarna Garg, the Indian-American stand-up comedian, plays the role of Naveen’s mother. Known for her excellent comic timing and hailed as “one of the gutsiest women comedians in America”, her presence adds the fun factor in the show, and there’s not a single boring moment you can spot. Apart from the lead, Sunita Mani plays Arundhathi, Naveen’s ser. Harish Patel appears as Archit (Naveen’s father), and Sas Goldberg is seen in a supporting role.Story continues below this ad
A Nice Indian Boy- What are critics saying
“Roshan Sethi’s quietly confident film unspools a tender love story between two men—and the generations learning to accept them—with wit, nuance and no interest in cliché,” Rotten Tomatoes approved critic Rex Reed said. 
“It’s very easy to ignore A Nice Indian Boy‘s faults because it tells a story that feels familiar, but forges its own path. We need more queer rom-coms and it will be easy to welcome A Nice Indian Boy into that growing cano,” said Zach Youngs.
“It begins and ends with a wedding, but it’s what’s in between that results in you being hitched to “A Nice Indian Boy.” Thriving on a combination of charm and hard truths, it’s an astute celebration of family, no matter how big of a pain it can be,” wrote AL Alexander.
Speaking to the Deadline, Jonathan Groff said, “It felt like a rom-com, but also a love story about becoming a part of somebody’s family — and the complicated ways they accept or don’t accept you.” For Karan Soni, “It felt like the kind of movie that I could have never imagined when I started in Hollywood, in 2010, being made… but this felt like it was just pure joy.” Karan’s real life partner Roshan directed the film, which made this whole movie even more speciaL. “We wanted a movie that felt like a Hollywood rom-com, but gave you the flavour of Bollywood,” he added.