An incisive expression of household and tradition that neither apologizes nor over-explains itself, Roshan Sethi’s A Good Indian Boy is a riotous, transferring queer romantic comedy with a wildly distinctive premise. Whereas it resembles many trendy third-culture tales — particularly, tales of disconnect between first-generation South Asians within the West and their immigrant dad and mom — it widens its scope in shocking ways in which mirror and refract each private and cinematic id.
Taking inspiration from a romantic Bollywood traditional, the movie follows a homosexual Indian American physician whose dad and mom are nominally accepting, however who need him to search out “a nice Indian boy.” Lengthy story brief: He does! The quick wrinkle, nevertheless, is that this good Indian boy is none aside from Jonathan Groff — sure, Hamilton‘s unique King George — enjoying a white man raised by Indian dad and mom.
On one hand, A Good Indian Boy is the story of a typical Indian American household, with typical Indian American issues — a generational disconnect, gendered double requirements, and a tradition of awkward silence round sexuality — however however, its evolution into grand romantic saga is something however typical. It is also a narrative of cross-cultural adoption that dovetails into not solely a hilariously awkward meet-the-parents comedy, but in addition a movie about releasing oneself from emotional and generational baggage, in a means that yields tears of pleasure and laughter.
What’s A Good Indian Boy about?
Dr. Naveen Gavaskar (Deadpool‘s Karan Soni) is the form of practical queer protagonist seldom seen in Hollywood: an introverted homosexual man who’d relatively be at dwelling than on the membership — or within the case of the film’s opening scene, at his sister’s colourful marriage ceremony reception. Because the visitors dance to thumping tunes, and the digital camera tilts and spins to seize them, Naveen sits nonetheless, heading off over-enthusiastic relations whose phrases of marital encouragement sound extra like a dire warning: “You’re next!”
What Naveen’s nosy aunties and uncles do not know, and what his dad and mom begrudgingly settle for, is that his marriage ceremony will not fairly appear to be a Hindi film, since he occurs to be into guys.
Six years go by — notably, the period of time between Sethi popping out and the movie’s premiere — and Naveen’s life away from his dad and mom is considerably content material, despite the fact that it entails lonely nights of leaving exes and crushes some uncomfortably awkward voice messages. He has completely no recreation, regardless of the efforts of his outgoing homosexual colleague Paul (Peter S. Kim) to deliver him out of his shell. However the gods ultimately smile on him when he comes throughout a beautiful white photographer, Jay Kurundkar (Groff), at his native mandir (or temple) whereas praying to a statue of Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god of knowledge and good luck.
Two issues instantly stand out about Jay: his tranquil allure, and his genuine pronunciation of “Ganesh” — with an prolonged “e” as in “lace,” relatively than the protracted “e” of phrases like “less,” to which most Westerners default. Naveen is straight away flustered by Jay’s assured stares, however agrees to accompany him on a date to his favourite film, which, to the great physician’s shock, seems to be Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (or DDLJ), the enduring 1995 Bollywood romance about two star-crossed Indian Londoners, whose musical centerpiece options famous person Shah Rukh Khan serenading actress Kajol in a subject of yellow mustard flowers.
However as a substitute of being stunned by this gesture, Naveen finds himself unable to totally embrace the movie or Jay’s off-key crooning of its well-known monitor, “Tujhe Dekha To” (sure, Groff sings it himself, with barely a syllable misplaced). Sincerity and vulnerability stay obstacles to Naveen, even after he and Jay begin courting. This proves mildly problematic when assembly one another’s buddies, however it’s downright disastrous when the query of Jay assembly Naveen’s dad and mom arises, given how little he is advised them about his white, freelance photographer boyfriend who vapes and waxes poetic about Hindi cinema.
The outcomes are as side-splitting as they’re disheartening, as a result of the one lesson A Good Indian Boy takes from DDLJ is that Indian romantic movies are household dramas too. Nevertheless, what initially appears hopeless finally ends up an thrilling problem, as a result of Jay has additionally internalized this lesson. And, like Shah Rukh Khan’s brash Raj Malhotra, he’ll cease at nothing to win over the dad and mom of the individual he loves.
Mashable Prime Tales
A Good Indian Boy can also be a household drama.
The movie, written by Eric Randall, relies on the play by Madhuri Shekar, and it has the construction of a five-act play, with every part damaged up by vital time jumps. This finally ends up serving a twin function. On one hand, this shifts the standard feel-good rom-com climax to the center of the story, away from its traditional place in most three-act Hollywood screenplays, the place it serves as a decision. Within the course of, A Good Indian Boy permits for the realities of long-term romance and marriage ceremony planning to creep in by the corners of the body, past the broad declarations of affection.
However, it additionally permits every member of Naveen’s household to have their very own devoted part of the film, throughout which they develop into a main character. Like Naveen, his sister Arundhathi (Sunita Mani) harbors a grudge towards their dad and mom for the alternatives she did and did not have whereas rising up, together with in issues of affection, and she or he sees their elevated leeway with Naveen as a matter of grave injustice. In the meantime, their outspoken mom Megha (Zarna Garg) tries to clean issues over with each kids, however since she’s simply as hot-headed as her daughter, it is simpler mentioned than performed. By way of temperament, Naveen takes after his father Archit (Harish Patel), although his silent acceptance of Naveen’s sexuality — whereas avoiding eye contact in any respect value — hurts greater than outright disapproval. Like his son, Archit has an issue with expressing himself truthfully.
Nevertheless, Megha and Archit’s real makes an attempt to bridge the hole between themselves and Naveen additionally results in some uproarious overcompensation, between the subjects they create up in Jay’s presence with none filter in any way, to their honest makes an attempt to coach themselves by binging raunchy actuality reveals on OutTV and bringing them up in dialog. It is extremely humorous and extremely candy, however none of those superficial gestures — irrespective of how well-meaning — are an alternative choice to the true emotional work the Gavaskar household wants.
The movie would not let Naveen off the hook both, whether or not it involves his avoidance of intimacy or the partitions he retains up between him and his relations. These partitions solely begin to come down after some rigorous and tough dramatic moments, which Sethi directs with unbelievable command.
A Good Indian Boy is brilliantly directed.
The movie’s premise resembles a lot of third-culture movies and reveals that includes South Asians within the West, like The Huge Sick, Ms. Marvel, and Blinded by the Mild. These tales of artistically pushed first-gen youngsters and their immigrant dad and mom who “just don’t understand” have settled right into a rote rhythm in recent times. A fellow SXSW choice, the lukewarm The Queen of My Desires, is a key instance: a equally Bollywood-inspired story of a queer Pakistani Canadian who nominally reconciles together with her conservative mom. It is not often a very good signal when you’ll be able to map out the beats of a narrative based mostly on its cultural premise, however A Good Indian Boy finds quite a few visible and thematic methods to buck that development.
It stands out, initially, by its bustling visible power, which not solely captures the chaos and pleasure always unfolding round Naveen — at weddings, household conferences, or events hosted by Jay’s outgoing buddies — but in addition serves to amplify his glum stillness because the digital camera pushes in and pulls out prominently throughout each comedy beats and charged emotional moments. The movie’s comedy and drama stem from the identical place: the stress of expectations, whether or not it entails Naveen wrestling along with his prescribed function as an Indian man within the West; the implications of his queerness, in accordance with his dad and mom; or how Jay will match into the Gavaskars’ household dynamic.
What Jay yearns for, as a perpetual outsider who discovered love in an Indian family as soon as earlier than, is simply as important to the film as Naveen’s seek for emotional authenticity. And when the movie begins drawing extra overtly from Bollywood iconography, it weaves collectively its grandiose romance from each their views. To Jay, Hindi cinema is the final word expression of affection and acceptance. To Naveen, it is a tacky façade. The reality, it seems, might lie someplace in between, with Sethi presenting the story’s key turning factors as stylistic handshakes between formal grandeur and naturalistic, self-aware comedy, with out compromising both character’s perspective. The film’s sweeping declarations are as daring and unapologetic as they’re goofy and foolish, so that they find yourself operating the emotional gamut.
Hardly ever has a rom-com been this concurrently hysterical and touching, although regardless of its boisterous tone, its greatest power might very properly be its silent moments. The daddy-son pairing of Naveen and Archit have a tendency to search out solace in silence, and that is not more likely to change anytime quickly. So, with the intention to draw them out of their consolation zones, A Good Indian Boy turns into a movie about gestures each huge and small. Its most heartrending moments arrive within the type of these two males — separated by generational disconnect, however certain by frequent cultural expectations — adapting to different folks’s modes of expression within the small methods they’re in a position to. Over the course of the movie, they be taught to talk different folks’s love languages, resulting in rousing, overwhelming moments (a few of them in pleasant musical type).
In a simply world, A Good Indian Boy would discover prompt distribution and be hailed alongside Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding ceremony as a sensible household portrait whose jagged edges aren’t simply riveting, however revelatory. It is as candy and humorous as they arrive, and the form of crowd-pleaser destined to depart your coronary heart feeling full.
A Good Indian Boy is at present in search of distribution.
UPDATE: Sep. 25, 2024, 5:01 p.m. EDT A Good Indian Boy was reviewed out of its World Premiere at SXSW 2024 on March 23, 2024. This publish has been up to date to notice its East Coast Premiere at NewFest, the place it was the opening night time movie.
