The Loud Indian Love Story
JAY (JONATHAN GROFF) IS Shah Rukh Khan, and will marry Kajol only if the family agrees. His boyfriend, Naveen (Karan Soni), is Kajol, who is helplessly swept up in his love, and hears temple bells every time he is close. Jay is white, an orphan who has lived with 14 families before being adopted by the Kurundkars, and specialises in queer photography. Naveen is a doctor, and specialises in making himself invisible and apologising for his feelings.
His parents, Indian immigrants, know he is gay but haven't ever been introduced to his boyfriends. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is a constant motif in the film, beloved by both Jay and Naveen, and every diasporic Indian alive. Naveen wants love but is afraid to feel anything, whereas Jay has no such inhibitions. Naturally, the two are perfect for each other and have a big fat wedding to celebrate, even as Naveen and his sister Arundhati realise the depth of love their own parents (Harish Patel and Zarna Garg, both lovely) have for each other. Subtly told, beautifully acted, it celebrates everything Indians usually shy away from: the loud, expansive declarations of love in Bollywood movies, choreographed wedding dances, clothes that it takes a village to make, and uncles and aunties telling the singletons, ‘You’re Next! ’, which is as much a threat as it is a promise. Why it isn’t called A Nice Boy in India rather than A Nice Indian Boy is a mystery.
