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Newsweek
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
A Nice Indian Boy Gets New Digital Release Date
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors A charming new rom-com starring Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff hit theaters last month, A Nice Indian Boy, which features a whirlwind romance, sweet humor, and plenty of dancing. Its theatrical release was limited, so you may not have had the chance to see it just yet, but that can be remedied from May 6, when A Nice Indian Boy becomes available to rent and buy on Video on Demand platforms. Harish Patel as Archit Gavaskar, Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, Zarna Garg as Megha Gavaskar, Sunita Mani as Arundhathi Gavaskar in A Nice Indian Boy. Harish Patel as Archit Gavaskar, Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, Zarna Garg as Megha Gavaskar, Sunita Mani as Arundhathi Gavaskar in A Nice Indian Boy. Courtesy of Levantine Films READ: INTERVIEW: "I Felt Like I Could Completely Be Myself" – Karan Soni & Jonathan Groff Discuss A Nice Indian Boy A Nice Indian Boy is the third directorial effort from Roshan Sethi, whose previous films include 7 Days and World's Best. We've got the full details below on where to watch A Nice Indian Boy, A Nice Indian Boy physical release date, and when will A Nice Indian Boy be on streaming. Where Can I Watch A Nice Indian Boy? A Nice Indian Boy will be available to rent and buy across Video on Demand platforms from May 6. You will be able to find the film on platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. A Nice Indian Boy Physical Release Date A Nice Indian Boy does not yet have an expected 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD release date. Is A Nice Indian Boy Available to Stream in the US? A Nice Indian Boy is not currently on any streaming services in the US. However, it will likely find a home on a streaming platform in the future.
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘A Nice Indian Boy' is an even nicer romantic comedy
'You're next,' everyone tells Naveen, a phrase he warns us about in his narration. Everyone expects him to be the 'nice Indian boy' somebody's daughter brings home. It's who every parent says their daughter should marry. But what will happen when Naveen brings home the boy instead? Advertisement Zarna Garg as Megha Gavaskar in 'A Nice Indian Boy.' Courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios Naveen's parents, Megha (Zarna Garg) and Archit (Indian acting legend, Harish Patel) know their son is gay, but they rarely talk about it. Though Archit is bottled up about his feelings, he and his wife try to understand their only son's sexuality. They accomplish this by watching Out, a gay-themed network that runs shows like the salaciously-titled 'DILF.' Six years after Arundhathi's wedding, Naveen has become a doctor himself. He works with Paul (Peter S. Kim), a raunchy lothario who'd be the sassy gay friend in a straight rom-com. Paul is constantly dragging Naveen out to meet people, but as a hilarious texting montage shows, Naveen is an absolute disaster at dating. 'Guess you've been eating an apple a day,' he texts to one former boyfriend, 'because you've kept this doctor away.' Advertisement Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar and Jonathan Groff as Jay Kurundkar in 'A Nice Indian Boy.' Courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios Enter a potential nice Indian boy for Naveen. He first notices photographer Jay Kurundkar ('Hamilton''s Now, if you know anything about Bollywood movies, you'll immediately recognize their date movie as the 1995 film, 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,' or 'DDLJ' as it's often called. The reason I know this is from my years of working in tech with Indian coders, all of whom loved this movie to pieces. So it's a nice touch for this film to acknowledge a beloved classic. It's an even more inspired idea to have the Tony Award-winning Groff sing a few bars of 'Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jana Sanam,' one of 'DDLJ''s big numbers. Naveen is horrified by this bold display, which occurs during their post-movie walk. But that's because he shares the same penchant for withholding his true emotions like his Dad. This affliction will become a problem as the two men fall in love and become engaged. I should probably mention that Jay is white. His last name comes from the Indian foster family who adopted him after he had lived in ten other foster homes. He's adopted their traditions as well — and he speaks Hindi. So, Jay fits the titular description. Naveen mentions that when he tells his family he's finally bringing someone home. Imagine their surprise when Jay upends their expectations. Harish Patel as Archit Gavaskar, Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, Zarna Garg as Megha Gavaskar and Sunita Mani as Arundhathi Gavaskar in 'A Nice Indian Boy.' Courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios From a plot perspective, there really isn't anything new here. There's the usual second act misunderstanding, the family dinner that goes horribly awry, the sad break-up and the indulgent scene where the two lovers reunite. And of course, there's a big, colorful wedding at the end, because no movie that uses Amy Vincent ('Eve's Bayou') as cinematographer is going to pass up using her keen eye to film it. Advertisement What makes 'A Nice Indian Boy' shine are the performances and the sharp writing by Eric Randall. There are gay and Indian people in front of and behind the camera, giving the film a lived-in knowledge of in-jokes and traditions. Stand-up Zarna Garg as Megha Gavaskar, Karan Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, Sunita Mani as Arundhathi Gavaskar, Sachin Sahel as Manish and Harish Patel as Archit Gavaskar in 'A Nice Indian Boy.' Courtesy of Levantine Films and Wayfarer Studios Mani, as Naveen's snarky married sister, Arundhathi, navigates her character's bittersweet arc. Though Arundhathi is the bad guy at one point, we understand the reasons she lashes out. She and Naveen have a recognizable sibling bond. And Groff is the boisterous yet gentle heart of the film. He's so lovable that you wonder why Naveen would cringe when Jay is serenading him. The real star of 'A Nice Indian Boy,' however, is Soni. He holds the film together by credibly portraying a man afraid of any emotion he finds gregarious. It's pure joy watching Naveen grow and learn to experience what Jay calls 'the bigness of love.' His journey will be recognizable, not just to gay men, but to anyone who was once afraid to trust that the person they love will love them back with the same fervor. ★★★1/2 A NICE INDIAN BOY Directed by Roshan Sethi. Written by Eric Randall. Based on the play by Madhuri Shekar. Starring Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel, Sachin Sahel, Peter S. Kim. At Coolidge Corner, AMC Boston Common. 96 min. Unrated (a nice instance of bad words) Advertisement Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A Nice Indian Boy': Why Levantine Films Believes the Queer Indie Rom-Com Has the Potential to Pop in Theaters
Levantine Films is betting on the queer rom-com 'A Nice Indian Boy' with a theatrical release — a show of confidence in an era where rom-coms are often relegated to streaming platforms. The film stars 'Deadpool' actor Karan Soni as an Indian man who brings his white-orphan-artist boyfriend (played by Tony and Grammy winner Jonathan Groff) home to his traditional family. When Levantine Films CEO Benjamin Hung first read Madhuri Shekar's play, on which the film is based, he recognized that the story was 'less about coming out' and more about the process of crossing cultures. More from Variety 'A Nice Indian Boy' Review: Bollywood Dreams Come True In an Appealing Indian American Romcom 'Ideally, we're looking for projects that are very uplifting and give people hope,' Hung tells Variety about what appealed enough to make a movie. Levantine, the New York-based indie production and financing company behind awards darlings like 'Hidden Figures' and 'Beasts of No Nation,' along with crowd-pleasers like 'Blinded by the Light' and 'Jerry and Marge Go Large,' enlisted Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios to co-finance the film. 'But we were going into production with or without them,' Hung explains. 'A Nice Indian Boy' debuted in limited release across the country on Friday. And despite opening during a spring weekend that sees major studios like Warner Bros. banking on major IP with 'A Minecraft Movie,' and art-house standout Neon's 'Hell of a Summer' hoping to capitalize on the 'Stranger Things' craze, Hung is confident that word-of-mouth will help 'A Nice Indian Boy' find its audience. Ahead of the film's debut, Hung discussed why it felt right to push for a theatrical release, the company's working relationship with Wayfarer Studios and the studios' goal of expanding their yearly film output. Charlie McSpadden [VP of development at Levantine] came across the play around 2020. We are really about compelling stories and characters — particularly ones that are socially conscious or represent underrepresented segments of society. It checked all the boxes. We worked with writer Madhuri Shekar, who developed it over a two to three-year process. Halfway into pre-production, Wayfarer Studios, who had been great partners, came in and financed half the film to alleviate some of the financial risk. But it was really Levantine driving the boat, and we were going into production with or without them. Right now, we have nothing but good words to say. Under the right circumstances, we would love to partner with them again. As we move forward, I want Levantine to not only scale, but also grow [beyond] the genres we've traditionally done. The ethos of the company is premium quality stories with compelling characters. Period. In our upcoming slate, we have a few different genres: an action-adventure film; a sci-fi thriller TV series that is going onto the market very soon; and a vampire comic book TV series that's a little 'White Lotus' meets 'Emily in Paris.' Next up, we have 'Poetic License,' Maude Apatow's directorial debut, that stars Leslie Mann, Cooper Hoffman and Andrew Barth Feldman. The rom-com is something Levantine may not have done in the past, but it's one that still has compelling characters. You're going to start seeing stuff like that from us. Historically, we've had around one film a year, but, ideally, I want to get to three or four. It's all about diversity in the sense of our film slate. We're trying to make something for everybody. There will be some that are more four-quadrant commercially, and there will be more queer stories. It may not necessarily be like we have to hit a quota every year. It's going to be very organic. That's usually what makes for the best stories. We were approached by a lot of partners after South by Southwest. Some of these places would put it out, but then they're releasing 20 other films without a proper commitment to theaters.y On this particular project, we went the self-distribution route, working with Blue Harbor Entertainment, and said, 'You know what? We're going to bet on ourselves.' We can put the extra touch on this from a marketing perspective, reach out to all of our friends and partners in the industry and really get behind it. When you watching this movie with one person, or even five, you don't quite get the same feeling as when you're surrounded by hundreds of people in a theater, and they're laughing and crying. We've been trying to target South Asian markets and a younger [demos]. We believe that the more conservative older generation will hopefully come out from word-of-mouth. Obviously, the LGBTQ+ community is important, and the Broadway audience through Jonathan Groff. Then there's Zarna Garg, an up-and-comer with a pilot coming out on CBS. She's done a lot of stand-up specials and has resonated with older Caucasian women. That has been really surprising as we've hit the festival circuit, especially the Palm Springs International Film Festival. We still believe this is a four-quadrant film. Getting folks in theaters is the challenging thing because of marketing a queer rom-com. But saying, 'Hey, this is very much like 'Meet the Parents'' helps. The playability is very high. The key to our marketing campaign has been targeting the right theaters for our primary audience. After SXSW, we started evaluating what we wanted to do with the film. It took a few months to figure it out, as we were working with other partnerships; it was a collective effort to believe in the movie. We had a great festival strategy, hitting specific areas like NewFest and the London Film Festival. The smartest thing to do on the festival circuit is target without over-saturating the market. We started to get some of these reviews in and to get a lot of publicity, but we've been trying to sustain that run. Director Roshan Sethi and all the talent have been fantastic. They've been doing whatever they can to promote it. When we read the play, one of the appealing things is that the focus is less about coming out and more about meeting someone and introducing them to your family and different cultures. Ideally, we're looking for projects that are very uplifting and give people hope. 89% of our focus is this 'uplifting positivity' beat, but if there's something else that we want to do, we won't rule it out. 'Hidden Figures' was kind of the perfect storm, checking all the boxes. But I think by scaling and having a good portfolio, you can have a mix of both, so that you're profitable with more commercial films to cover some of the awards films that may not be as successful. If we hit a 'Hidden Figures' again, awesome! But if we make a film that we really wanted to make that wasn't as commercially viable or financially successful, we have other projects too. This interview has been edited and condensed. Best of Variety 'Blue Velvet,' 'Chinatown' and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' Arrive on 4K in June All the Godzilla Movies Ranked 'House of the Dragon': Every Character and What You Need to Know About the 'Game of Thrones' Prequel
