Everyone is looking for a nice Indian boy to marry. But if you are a Indian gay man, it becomes more Challenging. The film A Nice Indian Boy is an adaptation of play written by Madhuri Shekar set in San Francisco and was originally staged in Los Angeles. The film is written by Madhuri Shekar with Eric Randal and directed Roshan Sethi was shot in JayVancouver BC.
I first saw the play at the Bernie Legge Theatre in Queen’s Park in New Westminster BC. directed by C.K Kaur for Vagabond Players. While the story is the same and both the film and they play are very entertaining. They are different and have different feel to them.
In the film, main character Naveen is played by Karan Soni, best known as the taxi driver fanboy in the Deadpool. In the play he was played by Siddharth Sharma. Keshav in the play played by Braeden Saucy becomes Jay in the film played by Hamilton star Jonathan Groff.
The film begins with the wedding celebration of Arundhathi Gavaskar (Sunita Mani) and Manish (Sachin Sahel), a semi-arranged marriage by both sets of parents. Arundhathi’s mother, Megha played by well stand up comic Zarna Garg, and father, Archit (Harish Patel), who did not even meet until their wedding day, are overjoyed. The groom is even a surgeon. It’s the dream.
As the wedding guests dance, Arundhathi’s brother, Naveen, is sitting alone, wincing every time someone merrily calls out to him, “You’re next!” He is gay, which his parents gingerly accept. However, it is his family’s culture not to discuss feelings, fears, or conflicts, and he is very uncomfortable with them, as well as with pretty much everyone else, including himself.
The play start at a Hindu temple which comes later in the film. Naveen sees who looks like a good Hindu boy with his devotional prayer, but he doesn’t look Indian. He was adopted by Indian parents. Naveen is impressed with this good-looking guy. So, he asks him for date to see an Indian Movie (Dil Wale Dulhania Lay Jayange) which Jay has already seen many times.
Jay lived with a dozen foster families before he found a home with the Indian couple who adopted him, and he is devoted to that culture. Jay is hurt that Naveen is not willing to tell his family he is in love with a “white artist orphan,” even after they are engaged. Naveen finally agrees to take Jay to meet his parents, telling him to be himself “except a little more formal, like you’re interviewing for the Presidency.” It does not go well. And Naveen is so consumed by his own fears and repressions that he misses some significant signs that a member of his family is struggling.
Naveen is embarrassed by how Jay is acting so Indian to impress his parents while Naveen is tone down his Indianness and his sexuality. When thigs blow up because of culture clash, Jay walks out feeling not supported by Naveen. Naveen feels abandoned because while Jay is trying so hard to be Indian, he doesn’t understand Naveen and his struggle to be accepted by his family and American society.
But seems that Jay not only walks out of the family home but also out of the relationship. The separation doesn’t keep them apart as they are drawn back together with help of friends. The blow up also makes the family understand what they mean to each other.
Many cultural mores became apparent in the this well written play and now film with great acting particularly by Zarna Garg as the mother and Dhirendra who plays the zany wedding planner who is not in the play.