What an enchanting and funny movie this is! In addition to being so relatable to everyone even though it is centered around an Indian family. The issues that arise may seem unique to the Indian culture but candidly, they are not. Predicaments with parents and family dynamics are universal and are culturally neutral. That is what made this movie so captivating. It can be universally understood (except by the homophobes, of course) and they gave us a splash of Bollywood at the end!

Naveen (Karan Soni) is a doctor from an affluent Indian family with a rather powerful and assertive mother, Megha (Zarna Garg) and a quiet, laid-back yet reflective father named Archit (Harish Patel). The movie begins with a scene of Naveen’s sister, Arundhathi (Sunita Mani) being married off and having an Indian dream wedding, that he wishes for himself someday. While his parents know that he is gay and are supportive, they do not see him as ‘gay’ because he does not ever bring anyone home or even hint that he is dating.

One day while praying to Lord Ganesha at the temple, a white guy comes in to also pray and indeed catches the eye of Naveen. As fate would have it, he is the photographer who is taking the pictures of all the employees for their new badges where Naveen works. His name is Jay Kurundkar (Johathan Groff) who sheepishly asks him out on a date. Naveen finds out that Jay was adopted by Indian parents from an orphanage when he was older and can speak Hindi. Thus begins their sweet journey to romance and love bliss. Of course not. Nothing is going to be that simple or easy especially when you have an Indian family that has certain expectations and traditions and an acerbic sister who is seeking a divorce from her husband now after 7 years of marriage.

Unquestionably, the stars of the movie are Johathan and Karan but who will steal your heart with their warmth and sincerity are Zarna Garg as Mother Megha and Harish Patel as Father Archit. As loud and pushy as Megha is, Archit is the direct opposite. That does not mean he is ineffective, however. He does his magic in his one-on-ones both with his son and Jay. His quiet fatherly advice and approach is from the heart and his own moving personal experience. Never demanding but always advising that is malleable is his mantra. While his face seems stolid, he is most assuredly not. His ability as an actor to subtly change his facial expressions almost imperceivably is masterful. Quite the opposite for Megha. You know precisely where she stands. Always well-meaning and wanting to be helpful, she can come across as meddlesome and demanding and not always sweetly. The two of them have accomplished comedic timing skills, both with each other and with the other cast members which makes this movie so much fun to watch. One must also give special kudos to Sunita Mani as Arundhathi. Underneath that caustic personality of hers is really a jealous individual. Ironically, with Naveen always feeling envious of her of having the big wedding, she sees her brother in a loving relationship of his own choosing, which has made her envious and deeply jealous of him. She, too, has some fine acting moments of personal exchanges not only with her parents, but also with her brother that are emotionally satisfying. Be prepared with some tissues to wipe away tears.

This is not a particularly unique story, but it sure is festive and entertaining. There is a nice chemistry between Karan and Johanthan from the beginning. More importantly, it does not feel rushed but allowed to nurture naturally through its anxiety stages. Here is a nice slightly neurotic Indian boy bringing home a White boy raised as an Indian as is boyfriend – what could possibly go wrong? Meanwhile, a sister waiting in the wings to try and tell her parents she is getting a divorce from a marriage that she really did not want to be in. All those issues were laid out with emotional depth and a more reflective appreciation of the cultural differences and values that would obviously be present. One must see this movie, no matter your orientation, from the eyes of someone living it – a young Indian man trying to hang onto his culture and value and yet still assimilate into his new one. And so, it is with his quite understanding but sometime misguided parents as well. This is challenging for each of them, which makes us appreciate the film’s impact even more. The characters are genuine individuals trying to belong, while still maintaining their identities and never turning into stereotypes or caricatures. That is what makes it so appealing.

The ending is just pure joy. Who does not love a Bollywood ending? While Megha’s wedding speech is partly tongue-in-cheek, it is still masterfully delivered eloquently. She had me both laughing and in tears. Why it is so memorable is because it is expressed as sincerely as a mother could to her son whom she adores, while the father (to whom it is also directed to as well) looks on ever so serenely, quietly, and deeply loving at both mother and son, smiling just a little and shedding a tear, approvingly. I lost it. It was so beautifully done. Nothing here is schmaltzy or cheesy. Just warmth.

If there is a slight criticism of this movie is, it is that I did not feel as tight of a connection between Karan and Jonathan in their characterizations as I expected. It just did not feel as intense as I thought it could have been. In addition, while I understand the ideational background, I had a hard time fully embracing Jay as the adopted son of an Indian couple. While he said the right things, it did not ‘feel or sense’ like there was a depth to his sincerity. I just did not get a deep sense of a relationship with them.

Nevertheless, this is a fun, fun movie and if you need some time to unwind and laugh, this is your movie. Who does not need that right now?

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Streaming on- Prime Video