Though the way forward for same-sex marriage feels unclear within the U.S., marriage ceremony bells are ringing on the theaters this spring.
Forward of the discharge of A Good Indian Boy, now enjoying within the U.S. and Canada (previous Andrew Ahn’s The Marriage ceremony Banquet remake’s April 18 launch), stars Jonathan Groff and Karan Soni spoke to Deadline about why Bollywood “feels so homosexual” and what made the movie “so fucking particular.”
Based mostly on Madhuri Shekar’s play, A Good Indian Boy stars Soni as Naveen Gavaskar, a homosexual Indian-American physician who has by no means introduced a boyfriend house, regardless of his mother and father and sister’s outward acceptance of him.
Whereas at temple, Naveen sparks an sudden romance with Jay Kurundkar (Groff), a white photographer who was raised by two adopted Indian mother and father. Following their meet-cute, the pair is in for fairly the tradition shock as Naveen’s new boyfriend teaches him to like each a part of himself whereas they plan their large homosexual Indian marriage ceremony together with his household.
“I at all times discover it fascinating that Indian-American folks, as a result of our tradition is so wealthy, they’re at all times caught between how American they had been and the way Indian they need to be,” defined Soni. “And plenty of them, early in life, due to bullying or no matter from tales I’ve heard, would shun the Indian a part of their tradition to assimilate extra. So, that’s how I at all times type of checked out it for this character’s backstory, the place it felt like such a novel spin on it, the place it required the permission of this different particular person loving this tradition a lot for my character to know what’s so particular about it in some ways. And I feel typically that’s what it takes.”
Jonathan Groff and Karan Soni in ‘A Good Indian Boy’ (2024) (Blue Harbor Leisure/Courtesy Everett Assortment)
With Soni’s real-life companion Roshan Sethi within the director’s chair, Jonathan Groff was simply as moved by the behind-the-scenes romance as his character’s love story.
“I liked 7 Days, the film that Karan and Roshan made. After which, once I discovered that they had been a pair in actual life, it simply all felt actually further particular,” stated Groff, including: “It didn’t simply really feel like one other film. There was one thing deeper, each the cultural that means of what this was saying of a homosexual Indian marriage ceremony, after which additionally the added parts that it was Karan and Roshan, and so they’re actually collectively. Their love is in each body of the film. It was simply actually fucking particular.”
Written for the display screen by Eric Randall, the characteristic adaptation is steeped with Bollywood references, together with a clumsy Groff singalong on the street, a giant marriage ceremony dance quantity and a candy tribute to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a 1995 romantic-comedy that hyperlinks the couple.
“I had by no means seen DDLJ, so the film was a crash course for me and Indian tradition in some ways,” stated Groff. “Beloved that film. Feels so homosexual. All the pieces about Bollywood and Indian weddings feels so flamboyant, I ought to say, to me.”
Learn our chat with A Good Indian Boy stars Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff concerning the lovely tradition conflict of their homosexual romantic-comedy.
DEADLINE: It’s such a enjoyable, cute rom-com. Are you able to inform me about attending to have that rom-com second however in such a validating non-traditional approach?
KARAN SONI: The script felt so particular after we acquired to learn it, and it felt just like the type of film that I may have by no means imagined once I began in Hollywood, in 2010, being made. However I used to be so joyful that it was being made, and I feel what was particular about it was that it was all about pleasure. A whole lot of occasions, I feel queer dramas or romances can really feel somewhat heavier, trigger they’re attempting to try this, however this felt prefer it was simply pure pleasure and that felt thrilling to make one thing like that.
DEADLINE: And what was the casting course of like? Did it’s important to do like chemistry reads?
SONI: No, Jonathan is supply solely. [LAUGHS] Whenever you attain Jonathan’s agent, the Frozen soundtrack simply performs, and it’s purported to subliminally inform you, “You want you would rent him.” No, no, we didn’t have any of that. I used to be already forged, after which Jonathan was on the highest of the checklist for everybody, after which he learn it. It’s a uncommon Hollywood factor that occurs the place you’ve a dream particular person, and so they learn it, and then you definately get an e-mail being like, “He learn it and he liked it.” After which we had one dinner in New York a couple of 12 months earlier than we began doing it, myself, the director Roshan and Jonathan. And on the finish of that dinner, Roshan and I, who’re a pair, walked again and we had been similar to, “Properly, it needs to be him.” After which we had been like, “What if he didn’t like us?” However we had been actually hoping, after which we didn’t actually see Jonathan once more till we began filming. Jonathan was on Physician Who, and he got here straight from that present to our film. We’d already been filming for just a few days, and then you definately had been thrown proper in the midst of—the primary scene you probably did was the “meet the mother and father’ scene, which was like a five-page scene with all these new faces. And we went proper into capturing that complete day, after which that was it. It was off to the races.
DEADLINE: Jonathan, what stood out for you?
JONATHAN GROFF: Studying the script, it felt actually particular, simply the tradition conflict and the homosexual parts within the Indian marriage ceremony. It felt like a rom-com, nevertheless it additionally felt actually family-related, that it was a love story about these two assembly, however form of this important piece about changing into part of any individual’s household and the sophisticated ways in which they settle for or don’t settle for you. After which I liked 7 Days, the film that Karan and Roshan made. After which, once I discovered that they had been a pair in actual life, it simply all felt actually further particular. And being there, we shot it actually quick, it was 18 days … It didn’t simply really feel like one other film. There was one thing deeper, each the cultural that means of what this was saying of a homosexual Indian marriage ceremony, after which additionally the added parts that it was Karan and Roshan, and so they’re actually collectively. Their love is in each body of the film. It was simply actually fucking particular.
Jonathan Groff, Karan Soni and Zarna Garg in ‘A Good Indian Boy’ (2024) (Blue Harbor Leisure/Courtesy Everett Assortment)
DEADLINE: I like the ingredient of him falling in love with somebody who makes him fall in love together with his personal tradition. Are you able to inform me somewhat bit about that, but additionally the strain for queer folks to create their very own traditions?
SONI: I feel that was such an fascinating a part of the script. I grew up in India, so I got here to America once I was 18. So, I used to be very in contact with the elements of Indian tradition that I liked after which the elements that I used to be joyful to depart behind, dwelling abroad. However I at all times discover it fascinating that Indian-American folks, as a result of our tradition is so wealthy, they’re at all times caught between how American they had been and the way Indian they need to be. And plenty of them, early in life, due to bullying or no matter from tales I’ve heard, would shun the Indian a part of their tradition to assimilate extra. So, that’s how I at all times type of checked out it for this character’s backstory, the place it felt like such a novel spin on it, the place it required the permission of this different particular person loving this tradition a lot for my character to know what’s so particular about it in some ways. And I feel typically that’s what it takes, it takes externally folks being OK with stuff so that you can really feel like—it’s taking place with meals now a lot, as a result of I’ve so many Indian-American buddies who’re like, “Indian meals was not cool, and it was known as smelly and all these items, and now persons are lining up for Michelin-star Indian eating places.” It’s simply such an fascinating factor when the tradition accepts it and when it doesn’t, and that typically is the permission that’s required so that you can really feel comfy. However all of that comes initially from the play, and what the play was attempting to do was attempting to point out my character as this reserved one who truly isn’t embracing all the pieces about himself, and this different one who needs they could possibly be part of this tradition and sees solely the wonder in it and all the pieces in it, and the way once they come collectively, it helps my character form of do this. So, we actually simply took that from the play and hoped that it might work on the display screen as nicely.
DEADLINE: And I liked all the performances that you simply did, from Jonathan awkwardly singing on the street to your large grand gesture, recreating DDLJ, after which after all the massive Bollywood household dance quantity. Inform me about placing all these collectively.
SONI: That was one thing that we had been hoping to do with this film, which was—we’ve heard lots of people, our buddies who solely watch Hollywood films being like, :I actually wanna watch one thing in Bollywood.” After which, we play it for them, and it’s nearly too jarring, the variations, and it’s lengthy, and so they’re like, “What’s occurring?” And so they’re somewhat bit confused, and it appears like they’re not in a position to end the film or one thing. So, we had been like, “What’s the midway level the place we will take among the issues that we love from these films, the massive romantic gestures, the larger-than-life form of household, the dance, all that stuff, and put that in a film that very a lot appears like a Hollywood film, nevertheless it may give you among the flavors of what that world is like?” So, all of it form of got here from wanting this film to be form of an amalgamation. After which, Bollywood is form of a theme all through the film too, as a result of the character that I play grew up watching these films and these large Indian weddings that by no means confirmed homosexual folks in them falling in love. And so, what does that really feel like so that you can by no means see your self in these tales? This film, in a meta approach, is the primary model of that for what will likely be plenty of brown queer folks. So there was like plenty of all of that jumbled up within the soup.
DEADLINE: And Jonathan, what was that like for you?
GROFF: I had by no means seen DDLJ, so the film was a crash course for me and Indian tradition in some ways. Beloved that film. Feels so homosexual. All the pieces about Bollywood and Indian weddings feels so flamboyant, I ought to say, to me. And singing that tune on the road, I felt protected. I felt protected the entire time as a result of Roshan and Karan had been there, and so they may assist me with the pronunciations of the issues that I used to be messing up, so I felt lined. There’s one thing within the heart-on-the-sleeve nature of that character, Jay, that I actually relate to, that was nearly embarrassing once I watched the film the primary time. ‘Trigger it’s how I’m, type of. I felt myself in it once I was doing it, however to observe it, no less than the primary time, was like somewhat embarrassing.
SONI: No, however you may’t be embarrassed as a result of that’s the factor that individuals discover endearing concerning the character, and really persons are mad at me as a result of they’re like, “Why can’t you embrace this man who simply desires to like you? “So, I’m the issue, not you.
GROFF: You’re not the issue. It’s awkward, somebody singing on the road. However I have sung on the road in life. It’s confronting, however not in a nasty approach, I assume.
