Harish Patel Archives – CULTURE MIX

Review: ‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ starring Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel, Peter S. Kim and Sas Goldberg

April 28, 2025

by Carla Hay

Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff in “A Nice Indian Boy” (Photo courtesy of Blue Harbor Entertainment)

Directed by Roshan Sethi

Some language in Hindi with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Vancouver, the comedy/drama film “A Nice Indian Boy” (based on the play of the same name) features a predominantly Asian cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: An Indian Canadian doctor, who is openly gay, meets and falls in love with an openly gay white photographer, and the doctor worries about commitment issues and whether or not his own parents will accept their interracial relationship.

Culture Audience: “A Nice Indian Boy” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in romantic comedies/dramas with likable characters dealing with LGBTQ relationships and family issues.

Harish Patel, Karan Soni, Zarna Garg and Sunita Mani in “A Nice Indian Boy” (Photo courtesy of Blue Harbor Entertainment)

“A Nice Indian Boy” follows the same formulas of romantic comedies where one person in a couple is more commitment-phobic than the other. However, this charming movie has a rare perspective of an interracial gay couple confronting family differences. If “A Nice Indian Boy” falls short on surprises, it more than makes up for it with a vibrant authenticity that can resonate with anyone who has experiences with adult relationships.

Directed by Roshan Sethi and written by Eric Randall, “A Nice Indian Boy” had its world premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival. The movie is based on Madhuri Shekar’s “A Nice Indian Boy” play that had a stint in Los Angeles in 2014. “A Nice Indian Boy” takes place in Vancouver, where the movie was filmed on location.

“A Nice Indian Boy” is told from the perspective of and narrated by 31-year-old Naveen Gavaskar (played by Karan Soni), an introverted and socially awkward doctor, who works at Karloff Memorial Hospital. Naveen is openly gay and looking for love, mostly on dating apps. The movie’s opening scene is a flashback to the lavish wedding of Naveen’s overachieving younger sister Arundhathi (played by Sunita Mani), who has seemingly found her ideal match in her husband Manish Rao (played by Sachin Sahel), who would go on to become an orthopedic surgeon.

In voiceover narration, Naveen says of this wedding: “I was 25 when my sister got married. This was the best day of my mother’s life” because his mother was proud that Arundhathi had married “a nice Indian boy.” Although Naveen is out of the closet to his family and close friends, a lot of the guests at the wedding don’t know that he is gay. And so, he has several people commenting to him at the wedding that he will be next to have a big Indian wedding, and they assume that he will be marrying a woman.

“Just one concern,” Naveen says in the voiceover. “What would it be like if I brought home a nice Indian boy?” Naveen’s family knows that he is gay. He just hasn’t introduced them to any of his boyfriends or lovers. It’s an emotional roadblock that Naveen has to covercome if he wants a serious and committed relationship.

Naveen’s mother Megha Gavaskar (played by Zarna Garg) is opinionated and has a tendency to be overbearing. For example, an early scene in the movie, Megha calls Naveen at his job to remind him to renew his AAA car insurance membership. Megha, tries hard to be a supportive parent to her gay son, but she admits she doesn’t know much about what to talk to him about. And so, she says things to Naveen such as she likes to watch Out TV and movies like the Oscar-winning “Milk,” a biopic about gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk, who was murdered in San Francisco in 1978.

Naveen’s father Archit Gavaskar (played by Harish Patel) is much quieter and more laid-back than Megha. However, he’s not so laid-back about Naveen’s sexuality. He’s uncomfortable talking to Naveen about Naveen being gay. Archit seems to have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it comes to Naveen’s love life.

Archit and Megha had an arranged marriage, which affects their views on how their children should approach marriage. Although Megha says that spouses in arranged marriages can learn to love each other (or at least like each other), Megha seems bored and restless in her own marriage. Most of the time that she’s with Archit, she seems to be irritated by him.

That’s because Megha thinks Archit has gotten lazy in their relationship and believes that he takes her for granted. The more that Megha seems annoyed by Archit, the more he shuts down emotionally, which causes a cycle of frustration in their marriage. Observant viewers will notice as the movie goes on that Naveen is a lot like his father Archie in how he has difficulty expressing his emotions, while Arundhathi is a lot like her mother Megha by being very outspoken with her emotions.

“A Nice Indian Boy” is told in four chapters. Chapter 1 is titled “The Boy.” Chapter 2 is titled “The Love.” Chapter 3 is titled “The Family.” Chapter 4 is titled “The Music.” Most movies about gay men who introduce a boyfriend to family members for the first time have to do with anxieties over the whether or not the family will accept the boyfriends’ queerness. In “A Nice Indian Boy,” the anxieties have more to do with racial acceptance.

Naveen’s closest friend is his lively co-worker Paul (played by Peter S. Kim), who is also an openly gay doctor. Paul encourages Naveen to go out and meet more potential love partners in person at fun events instead of online. A comedic montage shows a lonely Naveen calling men he’s made contact in the past to try to reconnect and leaving a series of awkward voice mail messages.

One day, Naveen is praying at a Hindu temple when a good-looking man (played by Jonathan Groff), who’s in his 30s, sits down behind Naveen and prays too. Naveen barely glances at this stranger but seems to be aware that this man is physically attractive. It won’t be long before Naveen will see him again.

One day, the hospital employees are getting their photo portraits done. The photographer is a handsome and friendly frelancer named Jay Kurundkar (played by Jonathan Groff), who is much more open about his feelings than Naveen. Jay and Naveen are instantly attracted to each other. Jay asks Naveen out on a date, and Naveen nervously says yes.

During this first date, they see a movie and then go to a gay bar. Jay tells Naveen that Jay (who has no siblings) spent his early childhood in foster homes and was adopted by Indian parents, who are now decased because Jay’s adoptive parents adopted him much later in their lives. Jay also mentions that his favorite movie is the 1995 romantic Bollywood drama “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.”

Jay isn’t shy about being occasionally dorky, such as when he sings lines from “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” to Naveen. Jay also vapes marijuana during the date and admits that he vapes when he’s nervous. This vaping results in a pivotal scene that affects Jay’s relationship with Naveen. Naveen is much more self-conscious and stoic during the date. Jay interprets it as Naveen not being very interested in him.

For example, Jay also opens up to Naveen about what Jay’s fantasy wedding would be like. He describes a big ceremony and reception with a lot of joy and choreographed dancing and at least one song from “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.” Naveen barely reacts out of nervousness, but Jay gets embarrassed because he thinks he might have turned off Naveen by talking about his dream wedding on their first date.

“A Nice Indian Boy” has some plot development clichés, but what the movie handles very well is the dialogue. This is not a movie where the would-be couple have an amazing first date. It’s not a completely terrible first date. It’s a realistic first date that shows two strangers trying to get to know each other better and doing their best not to make a bad impression on the other.

Jay eagerly brings Naveen into Jay’s world, by inviting Naveen to Jay’s photo gallery exhibit and by bringing Naveen to a house party, where Jay introduces Naveen to Jay’s supportive friends Billie (played by Sas Goldberg) and Neel (played by Sean Amsing). The problem is that Naveen is much more reluctant to bring Jay into Naveen’s world. Naveen keeps postponing the opportunity for Jay to meet Naveen’s family.

As already shown in the trailer for “A Nice Indian Boy,” Jay eventually does meet Naveen’s family. But that doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing from there, because Naveen’s parents expected him to have a partner with Indian heritage. And because the caste system is part of Indian culture, there’s some social-class snobbery from Naveen’s parents, who are disappointed that Jay has a job that has less stability and a much lower income than Naveen’s doctor job.

In addition to having appealing dialogue, “A Nice Indian Boy” has very entertaining performances from all the principal cast members. Naveen and Jay are an “opposites attract” couple, but it looks believable. Garg gives a standout performances as strong-willed matriarch Megha, who has a lot more sensitivity and vulnerability than she shows to most people.

The movie also shows in meaningful ways how the marriage experiences of Naveen’s parents and sister affect their perspectives and attitudes. Certain people in the family have to learn how to gracefully deal with disappointments when life doesn’t go exactly as planned. Rather than reducing the love story of Naveen and Jay to being a “will they or won’t they get married” dilemma, “A Nice Indian Boy” goes beyond the wedding issues and offers an adorable (but not too cutesy) tale of a family navigating changes without losing love for each other.

Blue Harbor Entertainment released “A Nice Indian Boy” in select U.S. cinemas on April 4, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on May 9, 2025.

Review: ‘Eternals’ (2021), starring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie and Lia McHugh

October 26, 2021

by Carla Hay

Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Don Lee (also known as Ma Dong-Seok), Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry and Barry Keoghan in “Eternals” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

“Eternals” (2021)

Directed by Chloé Zhao

Culture Representation: Taking place in various parts of the universe, the superhero action film “Eternals” features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, Asian, Latino and African American) portraying superheroes from outer space and human beings.

Culture Clash: The superheroes, who are known as Celestials, find out that their arch-enemy demon creatures, which are called Deviants, have not all been killed off and are back with a vengeance.

Culture Audience: “Eternals” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but viewers should know in advance that “Eternals” is much slower-paced and has a less straightforward narrative than a typical MCU movie.

Kumail Nanjiani and a Deviant in “Eternals” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

“Eternals” has the expected thrilling action scenes, but the non-action scenes might be too quiet and introspective for some fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie suffers from too much timeline jumping. And there are some other problems with the film’s tone and pacing. However, the showdowns in the last third of the movie make up for the meandering story in the rest of “Eternals.” It’s a movie that tries to take a minimalist approach to a story that’s got maximalist content because it’s packed with characters and agendas.

If “Eternals” does not have the same consistently high-adrenaline pace that people have come to expect from MCU movies, that’s because “Eternals” is the first major studio movie (and fourth feature film) from Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, who made a name for herself as a writer/director of quiet and introspective independent films (such 2020’s “Nomadland” and 2018’s “The Rider”) about wandering and/or restless “ordinary” people. These “slice of life” low-budget movies are quite different from the blockbuster superhero spectacle that has become the defining characteristic of MCU movies. Zhao co-wrote the “Eternals” screenplay with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo and Kaz Firpo.

Sure, “Eternals” has big-budget visual effects, gorgeous cinematography and impressive production design, but the movie’s heart (under Zhao’s direction) remains in the artsy indie film culture of requiring viewers to think more about the psychology of the characters than about what’s shown on screen. There are many times in “Eternals” when what the characters do not say (and what they keep to themselves) can be as important as what they do say. “Eternals” is not a movie that spells things out easily for the audience.

However, with a large ensemble cast of characters that are based on Marvel Comics characters created by Jack Kirby, “Eternals” is disappointing in how these characters are introduced in such a jumbled way to movie audiences who might not be familiar with these characters. The movie’s title characters are Celestials: universe-wandering beings who look like humans but who actually have superhero powers, including the ability to fly, shoot lasers from their hands or eyes, and quickly heal from wounds.

Celestials, who can also live for centuries, are not immortal, but it’s rare for a Celestial to die. Celestials all share an energy source that can help them strengthen their superpowers. Celestials (just like humans) can feel emotions, have individual personalities, and make their own decisions. As such, Celestials can have varying degrees of personal connections to each other and to human beings.

Before the opening title sequence of “Eternals,” it’s explained that Celestials come from the planet Olympia and were created to combat gigantic demon-like creatures named Deviants on planet Earth. (There are many influences from Greek mythology in the “Eternals” story.) The Deviants can be as small as the size of an elephant or as large as the size of a dinosaur. The Celestials have been instructed by Arishem, their supreme being/prime Celestial, to only find and kill Deviants and not to interfere with any of Earth’s wars and crimes between any humans and other beings.

Over several centuries, the Celestials battled Deviants until it was believed that all of the Deviants were killed. With their goals seemingly accomplished, the Celestials went their separate ways. Most Celestials continued to live on Earth under the guise of being “normal” human beings. However, there would be no “Eternals” movie if things were that simple. To make a long story short: The Celestials find out that there are still more Deviants on Earth, and that Deviants might not be the only threat to the Celestials.

“Eternals” introduces for the first time in a live-action movie these 10 superhero Celestial/Eternal characters:

Sersi (played by Gemma Chan), who genuinely loves human beings overall and who works as a scientist at the Natural History Museum in London.
Ikaris (played by Richard Madden), who is serious-minded, ambitious and Sersi’s former love interest.
Ajak (played by Salma Hayek), who is the wise matriarchal leader of the group.
Thena (played by Angelina Jolie), who is a powerful warrior whose main weapons are supernatural swords, shields and tritons.
Druig (played by Barry Keoghan), who is an opinionated young rebel with the power to control minds.
Kingo (played by Kumail Nanjiani), who is a wisecracking jokester with an attraction to showbiz.
Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry), who is a master inventor and technopath with a sarcastic sense of humor and cautious nature.
Gilgamesh (played by Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-Seok), who has extraordinary strength and a playful personality.
Makkari (played by Lauren Ridloff), who is described as “the fastest woman in the universe,” and she happens to be deaf.
Sprite (played by Lia McHugh), who is a shapeshifter but is frustrated that her real physical appearance of being a 12-year-old girl has not changed, even though she is centuries old.

If only these characters were introduced in “Eternals” in a way that would be easier to keep track of them and who they are. Some of the characters’ names aren’t even spoken right away, so viewers will be left wondering, “What is this character’s name? What is this character’s story?” Unless you’re a Marvel aficionado or someone who bothered to look up these characters before watching the movie, there will be some scenes in “Eternals” where you’ll be watching a bunch of people talking with no meaningful context of what their histories are with each other.

Because there are so many Celestial characters crammed into the movie, some of them inevitably get sidelined, or their personalities not given enough time to shine. For example, Thena barely says anything of substance, which seems like a waste of the talent of Oscar-winning Jolie. Thena has some standout fight scenes, but that’s about it. For reasons that are shown in the movie (but won’t be mentioned in this review because it’s spoiler information), Ajak is not in the movie as much as the “Eternals” trailers give the impression that she is. Gilgamesh gets the least amount of screen time out of the 10 Celestial superheroes in “Eternals.”

One of the biggest flaws of “Eternals” is that all the timeline jumping makes the movie look a bit unfocused. The movie goes back and forth from the present day to different past eras and locations. There’s one time jump scene that only lasts for a couple of minutes before it’s on to the next. At the same time, many of the conversations are slow-paced. It’s an odd mix.

The purpose of the zig-zagging between eras is to show what the Celestials looked like when they worked as a team in the past, compared to the present when they’ve become scattered in different places and leading different lives. Scenes take place in present-day London, Chicago or South Dakota, while the flashback scenes are in vastly different eras and places, such as Mesopotamia in 500 B.C.; Tenochtitlan in the year 1521; or Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. (History buffs will immediately know the significance of the years and locations of these flashbacks.) For the present-day scenes, “Eternals” also has a not-so-subtle environmentalist message about climate change that factors into a pivotal part of the story.

And there’s a lot of deconstructing of macho superhero personas in “Eternals.” Without giving away too much information, it’s enough to say that Ikaris has several scenes where he cries. He sheds tears more than any other character in the movie. Madden gives a heartfelt performance in “Eternals,” but it’s easy to predict that all this superhero crying in “Eternals” will get some mixed reactions from audiences.

And speaking of melodrama, “Eternals” has a soap-opera-like subplot of Ikaris and Sersi’s love saga. After centuries of being together (and even having a wedding ceremony in India’s Gupta Empire in 400 B.C., as seen in the movie), Ikaris broke Sersi’s heart when he abruptly left after the Celestials disbanded. In present-day London, Sersi has moved on to a new love: a human named Dane Whitman (played by Kit Harington), who is a teacher/co-worker at the Natural History Museum.

In an early scene in the movie, Dane asks Sersi why she won’t move in with him. She plays coy. Dane also tries to guess what’s so different about Sersi, based on clues and hints that he’s been getting from Sprite, the Celestial who hangs out the most with Sersi. Sersi and Sprite have almost like a older sister/younger sister relationship. Dane incorrectly guesses that Sersi is some kind of wizard. The movie shows whether or not Sersi will tell Dane about her true identity.

Meanwhile, Ikaris comes back into Sersi’s life. Can you say “love triangle”? Except, not really, because Dane is not in most of this movie. Dane’s biggest scenes are at the beginning and at the end of “Eternals.” Instead, the big romance angle in the story is all about making viewers wonder if Sersi and Ikaris will get back together as a couple. Expect to see Ikaris and Sersi give each other predictable longing glances, or their hands deliberately touch in certain scenes. The problem is that Madden and Chan don’t have much believable chemistry as former lovers who are supposed to still be hot for each other.

The only other Celestial who’s shown having a love life in “Eternals” is Phastos, who is openly gay and is married to a loving and supporting human husband named Ben (played by Haaz Sleiman), whose occupation is never mentioned in the film. Phastos (or “Phil” as he calls himself in his domesticated Earthly life) and Ben have a precocious and energetic 10-year-old son named Jack (played by Esai Daniel Cross), who is the reason why protective dad Phastos is very reluctant to go back to any Celestial duties. Ben knows about Phastos’ true identity as a Celestial. As for the much-hyped “first MCU superhero gay kiss,” it’s very tame. It’s in a scene where Ben and Phastos kiss each other goodbye, as Phastos temporarily leaves home to go with the Celestials to save the world again, as you do if you’re a superhero.

Speaking of being a superhero, “Eternals” has some confusing scenes about Celestial superpower strength. For example, in more than one scene, Celestials can be seen healing themselves and each other when they sustain serious bloody injuries in a fight. However, there’s a scene in the movie where one of the Celestials is able to knock out another Celestial unconscious with one blow from a rock to a head. You’d think that the Celestial who was hit could recover and regain consciousness quickly, based on the Celestial superpowers, but that’s not what happens.

“Eternals” has a serious tone overall, but the movie does attempt to have some comic relief, mainly through the characters of Kingo and Phastos. Sprite can be a bit of a moody brat, so her cynical attitude toward life is occasionally mined for laughs. Druig and Makkari are romantically attracted to each other and have some cute flirtatious banter. However, some of the movie’s comedy seems forced and something out of a TV sitcom.

There’s a somewhat annoying subplot about Kingo being a Bollywood star and insisting on making a “documentary” (which is actually just Kingo’s one-camera vanity project) about the Celestials’ exploits when this superhero group gets back together. Tagging along for the ride is Kingo’s valet named Karun (played by Harish Patel), who is nothing more than a buffoon character posing as a Bollywood director. “Eternals” also has lots of references to social media and pop culture that will not age well over the years.

With all that being said, “Eternals” does deliver some exciting action sequences and meaningful character development, especially in the last 50 minutes of this 157-minute movie. There are some visually stunning outdoor scenes, which have become part of Zhao’s signature style in her films. Just expect to sit through a lot of dialogue that can be dull and somewhat trite before getting to the best parts of “Eternals.” The movie’s mid-credits scene (which has the MCU debut of two buddy characters, of which one is portrayed by a former teen idol) and end-credits scene (which has Dane by himself and showing why he told Sersi earlier that his family history is “complicated”) should have viewers anticipating the next movie in the “Eternals” saga.

Marvel Studios will release “Eternals” in U.S. cinemas on November 5, 2021.