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If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for October 11 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 11 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Let's experiment

These words help make science happen.

October Prime Day: Here's the latest news on the deals

Prime Day deals you can shop right now

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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

Words for lab equipment.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is ChemistryLab.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for October 11

• Beaker

• Goggles

• Flask

• ChemistryLab

• Pipette

• Thermometer

SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 10 SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 10

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Tesla just unveiled its long-awaited Robotaxi aka Cybercab, an automated electric car that CEO Elon Musk claims can drive itself without human intervention. If it works, you may end up having fewer awkward conversations with cab drivers about presidential elections. However, this wasn't the only tech Musk revealed during Tesla's We, Robot event.

SEE ALSO: How to watch Tesla's big Robotaxi unveiling

Taking place at Warner Bros. Discovery in Burbank, California, Tesla's Cybercab reveal had initially been scheduled for August, but was pushed back to October at the end of July. Speaking on an earnings call at the time, Musk stated that the delay was so that Tesla could "improve the Robotaxi, as well as add in a couple other things for the product unveil."

Said "other things" have turned out to be the latest look at Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus, as well as the surprise unveiling of an automated van called the Robovan (pronounced by Musk as "Robo-ven" for reasons unknown).

Musk reveals the Robovan, Tesla's autonomous van Credit: Tesla

While the Cybercab was the expected star of Thursday night's event, the unexpected reveal of the box-like Robovan received its fair share of attention as well. Allegedly capable of carrying up to 20 people or transporting goods, Musk claimed that the apparently fully autonomous vehicle had the potential to reduce travel costs to five or ten cents per mile.

"What happens if you need a vehicle that is bigger than a Model Y?" said Musk, introducing the Robovan as it rounded a corner to let several passengers emerge from its sliding door. "We're going to make this, and it's gonna look like that."

"That" is a bulky white vehicle with practically no clearance between it and the road, and no windscreen either. Instead, strip windows run across the edges of the Robovan's roof down to its nose and rear, following its left and right edges, with two more placed on the sides. 

Comparing the design philosophy behind the Robovan to that of the Cybertruck, Musk stated that Tesla aims to "change the look of the roads, and that "the future should look like the future." The Cybertruck's design was widely derided when it was first revealed in 2019, and common opinion hasn't changed. 

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Tesla

Fortunately, the Robovan at least doesn't look like an extremely low-poly rendering of Halo's Warthog, which is for the best if Tesla hopes that anyone but diehard Musk stans will want to ride in it.

"The Robovan is what's gonna solve for high density," said Musk.

Screens inside the Robovan where the windscreens would typically be located appear to show the vehicle's surroundings, as rows of white chairs face each other rather than in the direction the van is travelling. While the lack of steering wheel or controls is no doubt a deliberate exclusion, the Robovan also doesn't appear to have any seat belts. Hopefully this is simply because the vehicle is still under development. 

Tesla provides an update on the Optimus robot Credit: Mashable screenshot: Tesla

Tesla's vehicles weren't the only products shown off at this event. Musk ended his presentation by showing off Tesla's humanoid Optimus robots, having a procession of them shuffle in. The billionaire stated that Optimus has "progressed dramatically year after year" since Tesla first revealed the concept in 2021, when it was infamously illustrated by a person wearing a robot suit. 

"It'll be [able to] do anything you want," said Musk, sharing his dreams for Optimus' capabilities. "It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries. Just be your friend, serve drinks. Whatever you can think of, it will do."

Such functionality is likely still a while away, judging by the tentative approach Optimus appeared to take when merely walking. Though at least that gives you plenty of time to save up if you do want an Optimus of your own.

Upping his 2022 Optimus pricing estimate of "probably less than $20,000," Musk predicted that these robots will set you back $20-30,000. However, this prediction came with the caveat that such pricing would only eventually be reached in the long term, once the Optimus is produced "at scale." As such, we can infer that Optimus' launch price is likely to be notably higher.

Considering this predicted pricing, Musk's assertion that a personal Optimus robot could be "something that anyone could own" seems fairly far off. Though Musk declared that Optimus would cost "less than a car," it's still a pretty penny to shell out. Car prices skyrocketed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with the average price of a new car in the U.S. now at over $48,000.

Credit: Mashable screenshot: Tesla

"I think this will be the biggest product ever of any kind," said Musk. "I predict actually, provided we address the risks of digital superintelligence, [an] 80 percent probability of good, a good outcome."

Musk didn't say much about that other 20 percent, apparently preferring to picture an alternate, utopian take on I, Robot without the robot murder.

"The costs of products and services will decline dramatically, and basically anyone will be able to have any products and services they want. It will be an age of abundance, the likes of which almost no one has envisioned," said Musk, sounding an awful lot like a presidential candidate he's been hanging out with lately.

Musk ended the We, Robot presentation by directing the audience to observe a group of Optimus robots doing the robot in a gazebo, and declaring that more would be serving drinks at the bar. It wasn't clear whether the Optimus bartenders would deal with the issue of checking IDs, or if such tasks would still fall to their human minders hovering to the side.

Tesla recalls encourage caution regarding autonomous cars

While Musk's claims of fully autonomous cars and vans may sound exciting, it's prudent to approach such technology with caution and scepticism before entrusting it with your well-being. Tesla doesn't have the best track record when it comes to vehicular safety, to put it mildly. 

The infamous Cybertruck has been the subject of multiple massive recalls, with problems ranging from accelerator pedals getting stuck while pressed down, to windshield wipers malfunctioning, to the rear view camera going blank while drivers are backing up. Then there's the issues that haven't sparked recalls, such the Cybertruck's finger-crushing tendencies. This dangerous problem is facilitated both by the design of the Cybertruck's doors as well as an obstacle detection system which appears to work sporadically at best.

Other vehicles in Tesla's lineup haven't fared much better. In August, Tesla issued a recall for over 9,100 Model X cars due to an issue where a cosmetic applique could detach and increase the risk of a crash. The company had previously issued a recall of the same model for the same issue in 2020. In July, around 1.8 million Tesla cars were recalled due to an issue with detecting unlatched hoods, leaving potential for them to pop open and obstruct a driver's view, and in January nearly 200,000 Teslas were recalled over a rear view camera problem.

Last year, there was a December recall for auto steering issues, May recall for faulty seat belt warnings, July recall for faulty seat belts, and a February recall because Tesla's Full Self-Driving software enabled cars to "exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash."

During the We, Robot event, Musk announced that several dozen Model Ys and Cybercabs were circling the set without drivers or passengers as he spoke, with attendees invited to ride in them afterward.

"There's no steering wheel or pedals, so I hope this goes well," the billionaire said. "We'll find out."

Tesla's robotaxi is finally a real thing, and it's called Cybercab.

Unveiled by CEO Elon Musk at Tesla's big "We, Robot" event at Warner Bros studios, the Cybercab is a futuristic-looking, fully autonomous electric vehicle that can ferry passengers around completely on its own.

At the start of the event, the Cybercab (or Robotaxi — the name isn't entirely clear right now as both names were used throughout the event) actually took Musk through a short series of mock-up streets and onto the stage (with 20 other Cybercabs autonomously roaming around those same streets).

The Cybercab, as shown, isn't meant to be driven. It doesn't have a steering wheel, or pedals. It's got two butterfly wing doors, letting the passengers in — and only the passengers, as the car does not need a driver.

No charging port! Credit: Tesla

According to Musk, "you could fall asleep, and wake up at your destination."

Inside, there's a large display similar to those in today's Tesla cars, and the whole idea is for the car to be like a nice little lounge in which you chill while the car does its thing.

The Cybercab also doesn't have a charging plug; it will use wireless induction charging instead. Battery capacity, charging speed and other details weren't mentioned during Tesla's presentation.

As for the problems the Cybercab is meant to solve, Musk says traffic as it is today is slow, unsustainable, too expensive, and not safe enough. If most or all those cars on the streets were autonomous, "driving" would allegedly be ten times safer, cars would be cheaper, and they could actually make money for their owners while they sleep, by ferrying other passengers around, (robo)taxi-style.

The price for all this goodness if you were to buy one? About $30,000, said Musk.

We sort of knew most of this, as Musk has been talking about this as one of Tesla's primary goals (a fleet of robotaxis) for years. And given Tesla's (sometimes painfully slow) progress on its Full Self-Driving package, we know Tesla is trying hard to solve the autonomous driving problem. So the big question here is: When can we expect to see Cybercabs on the streets?

The answer is quite murky. According to Musk, Tesla plans to start fully autonomous, unsupervised FSD in Texas and California in 2025, with the Model 3 and the Model Y. Cybercab production should start in 2026, Musk said, but then immediately added that he tends to be "a little optimistic with time frames" and changed that timeframe to "before 2027." And all of this unsupervised, autonomous driving business needs to be approved by regulators before it can happen, both in the U.S. and abroad.

SEE ALSO: Tesla's cheapest car is no longer available

If you read the fine print, that means not much has changed for Tesla: The company still plans to launch autonomous driving on existing cars first via its FSD package. The problem is that Musk has been talking about this for nearly a decade, and while FSD is in parts impressive, it's not yet ready to be unleashed into the world as a fully autonomous, unsupervised driving package. It all boils down to whether Tesla can make this happen, how long will it take, and when regulators will put their stamp of approval on the whole idea.

TL;DR: Live stream Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free on L'Equipe. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The UEFA Nations League continues to deliver games between some of the best international sides in the world. Would fans like a return to domestic football? Probably, but these high-profile games are a welcome distraction from the lack of club competition.

If you want to watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany?

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League kicks off at 7:45 p.m. BST on Oct. 11. This fixture takes place at the Bilino Polje.

How to watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany for free

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League is available to live stream for free on L'Equipe.

L'Equipe is geo-restricted to France, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in France, meaning you can access free live streams on L'Equipe from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in France

4. Visit L'Equipe

5. Live stream Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany for free from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select UEFA Nations League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for L'Equipe?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on L'Equipe, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including France

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Germany in the UEFA Nations League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League for free on NPO. Access this free streaming site from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Does anyone really care about the UEFA Nations League? Fans probably aren't too concerned about winning this competition, but that doesn't mean individual games aren't going to be competitive. Take the next game between Hungary and Netherlands, for example. Both sides will be desperate to secure the win.

If you want to watch Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Hungary vs. Netherlands?

Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League kicks off at 7:45 p.m. BST on Oct. 11. This fixture takes place at the Puskás Aréna.

How to watch Hungary vs. Netherlands for free

Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League is available to live stream for free on NPO.

NPO is geo-restricted to the Netherlands, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the Netherlands, meaning you can access free live streams on NPO from anywhere in the world.

Access a free live stream of Hungary vs. Netherlands by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the Netherlands

4. Visit NPO

5. Live stream Hungary vs. Netherlands for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Year Subscription + 3 Months Free) $99.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select UEFA Nations League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for NPO?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on NPO, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the Netherlands

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Stream Hungary vs. Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Get Microsoft Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro together for £40.56 (reg. £335.37) through 27 October.

Summer’s over, and that means it’s time to get serious about those grades. Whether you’re hitting the books or looking to help your student, check out this ultimate back-to-school bundle. For a limited time, you can get both Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro. It's the perfect combo to tackle assignments and fight procrastination.

Separately, this office suite and OS cost hundreds of pounds, but they’re on sale for £40.56 for a couple more weeks. This is your best chance to upgrade your Windows computer.

Microsoft Office 2021 apps

Every student needs reliable productivity apps for those dreaded assignments and presentations. Lean on tools like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint for homework, OneNote for note-taking, and Outlook and Teams to stay connected to peers and teachers. 

Microsoft Office for Windows also comes with Access and Publisher. You might use Excel and Publisher for math and data science courses and Publisher if you’re designing materials for clubs or art classes.

Most importantly, this is a lifetime device license. Once MS Office 2021 for Windows is installed on your computer, the license never expires.

Windows 11 Pro + Copilot AI

Upgrading your OS isn’t just for the new user design; you’ll also get the new AI assistant, Copilot. Microsoft calls it “the ultimate AI study buddy.”

Copilot uses a custom version of ChatGPT, so it’s like getting the chatbot's premium version without having to pay for it. You could use it to:

• Have it explain complex class concepts in simpler terms

• Make custom flashcards

• Create practice questions

• Simulate conversations in a new language you’re learning

You’ll also enjoy how Windows 11 Pro boosts your PC’s load times, gives you new productivity tools, and adds new security features like BitLocker device encryption. It’s like an internal makeover for your computer.

Take advantage of this Microsoft app bundle with Office 2021 and Windows 11 Pro at £40.56 (reg. £335.37) through 27 October at 11:59 p.m. PT. No coupon code is needed for this discount.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle £40.56
£335.37 Save £294.81 Get Deal

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for October 11's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 11 What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

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• Fire TV Stick 4K Max Streaming Player With Remote (2023 Model) — $39.99 (List Price $59.99)

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 11 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Adore

• Green: Plunge

• Blue: Pure profit

• Purple: Audacity

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Cherish

• Green: Quick Jump in the Pool

• Blue: Movies

• Purple: Additional Benefit

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #488 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Cherish: RELISH, SAVOR, TREASURE, VALUE

• Quick Jump in the Pool: DIP, DIVE, SPLASH, SWIM

• Additional Benefit: BONUS, EXTRA, FROSTING, GRAVY

• Brashness: BRASS, CHEEK, NERVE, SAUCE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 11

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for October 11's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for October 11 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

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• TP-Link Tapo C120 2K QHD Security Camera — $24.99 (List Price $39.99)

• 65" Hisense U6 Series 4K Mini-LED ULED Smart TV (2024 Model) — $597.99 (List Price $799.99)

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Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 11 SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for October 11 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Breezy.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. SEE ALSO: Hurdle hints and answers for October 11 The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

GUSTY.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

An incisive expression of family and culture that neither apologizes nor over-explains itself, Roshan Sethi's A Nice Indian Boy is a riotous, moving queer romantic comedy with a wildly unique premise. While it resembles many modern third-culture stories — specifically, tales of disconnect between first-generation South Asians in the West and their immigrant parents — it widens its scope in surprising ways that reflect and refract both personal and cinematic identity.

SEE ALSO: New York Film Festival preview: 10 movies you ought to know about

Taking inspiration from a romantic Bollywood classic, the film follows a gay Indian American doctor whose parents are nominally accepting, but who want him to find "a nice Indian boy." Long story short: He does! The immediate wrinkle, however, is that this nice Indian boy is none other than Jonathan Groff — yes, Hamilton's original King George — playing a white man raised by Indian parents. 

On one hand, A Nice Indian Boy is the tale of a typical Indian American family, with typical Indian American problems — a generational disconnect, gendered double standards, and a culture of awkward silence around sexuality — but on the other hand, its evolution into grand romantic saga is anything but typical. It's also a story of cross-cultural adoption that dovetails into not only a hilariously awkward meet-the-parents comedy, but also a film about freeing oneself from emotional and generational baggage, in a way that yields tears of joy and laughter.

What is A Nice Indian Boy about?

Dr. Naveen Gavaskar (Deadpool's Karan Soni) is the kind of realistic queer protagonist seldom seen in Hollywood: an introverted gay man who'd rather be at home than at the club — or in the case of the movie's opening scene, at his sister's colorful wedding reception. As the guests dance to thumping tunes, and the camera tilts and spins to capture them, Naveen sits still, fending off over-enthusiastic family members whose words of marital encouragement sound more like a dire warning: "You're next!"

What Naveen's nosy aunties and uncles don't know, and what his parents begrudgingly accept, is that his wedding won't quite look like a Hindi movie, since he happens to be into guys.

Six years go by — notably, the amount of time between Sethi coming out and the film's premiere — and Naveen's life away from his parents is somewhat content, even though it involves lonely nights of leaving exes and crushes some uncomfortably awkward voice messages. He has absolutely no game, despite the efforts of his outgoing gay colleague Paul (Peter S. Kim) to bring him out of his shell. But the gods eventually smile on him when he comes across an attractive white photographer, Jay Kurundkar (Groff), at his local mandir (or temple) while praying to a statue of Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god of wisdom and good luck.

Two things immediately stand out about Jay: his tranquil charm, and his authentic pronunciation of "Ganesh" — with an extended "e" as in "lace," rather than the protracted "e" of words like "less," to which most Westerners default. Naveen is immediately flustered by Jay's confident stares, but agrees to accompany him on a date to his favorite movie, which, to the good doctor's surprise, turns out to be Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (or DDLJ), the iconic 1995 Bollywood romance about two star-crossed Indian Londoners, whose musical centerpiece features superstar Shah Rukh Khan serenading actress Kajol in a field of yellow mustard flowers.

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But instead of being bowled over by this gesture, Naveen finds himself unable to fully embrace the film or Jay's off-key crooning of its famous track, "Tujhe Dekha To" (yes, Groff sings it himself, with barely a syllable out of place). Sincerity and vulnerability remain obstacles to Naveen, even after he and Jay start dating. This proves mildly problematic when meeting each other's friends, but it's downright disastrous when the question of Jay meeting Naveen's parents arises, given how little he's told them about his white, freelance photographer boyfriend who vapes and waxes poetic about Hindi cinema.

The results are as side-splitting as they are disheartening, because the one lesson A Nice Indian Boy takes from DDLJ is that Indian romantic films are family dramas too. However, what initially seems hopeless ends up an exciting challenge, because Jay has also internalized this lesson. And, like Shah Rukh Khan's brash Raj Malhotra, he'll stop at nothing to win over the parents of the person he loves.

A Nice Indian Boy is also a family drama.

The film, written by Eric Randall, is based on the play by Madhuri Shekar, and it has the structure of a five-act play, with each section broken up by significant time jumps. This ends up serving a dual purpose. On one hand, this shifts the typical feel-good rom-com climax to the middle of the story, away from its usual place in most three-act Hollywood screenplays, where it serves as a resolution. In the process, A Nice Indian Boy allows for the realities of long-term romance and wedding planning to creep in through the corners of the frame, beyond the broad declarations of love.

On the other hand, it also allows each member of Naveen's family to have their own dedicated section of the movie, during which they become a primary character. Like Naveen, his sister Arundhathi (Sunita Mani) harbors a grudge against their parents for the choices she did and didn't have while growing up, including in matters of love, and she sees their increased leeway with Naveen as a matter of grave injustice. Meanwhile, their outspoken mother Megha (Zarna Garg) tries to smooth things over with both children, but since she's just as hot-headed as her daughter, it's easier said than done. In terms of temperament, Naveen takes after his father Archit (Harish Patel), though his silent acceptance of Naveen's sexuality — while avoiding eye contact at all cost — hurts more than outright disapproval. Like his son, Archit has a problem with expressing himself honestly.

However, Megha and Archit's genuine attempts to bridge the gap between themselves and Naveen also leads to some uproarious overcompensation, between the topics they bring up in Jay's presence without any filter whatsoever, to their sincere attempts to educate themselves by binging raunchy reality shows on OutTV and bringing them up in conversation. It's incredibly funny and incredibly sweet, but none of these superficial gestures — no matter how well-meaning — are a substitute for the real emotional work the Gavaskar family needs.

The film doesn't let Naveen off the hook either, whether it comes to his avoidance of intimacy or the walls he keeps up between him and his family members. Those walls only start to come down after some rigorous and difficult dramatic moments, which Sethi directs with incredible command.

A Nice Indian Boy is brilliantly directed.  

The film's premise resembles a number of third-culture films and shows featuring South Asians in the West, like The Big Sick, Ms. Marvel, and Blinded by the Light. These stories of artistically driven first-gen kids and their immigrant parents who "just don't understand" have settled into a rote rhythm in recent years. A fellow SXSW selection, the lukewarm The Queen of My Dreams, is a key example: a similarly Bollywood-inspired tale of a queer Pakistani Canadian who nominally reconciles with her conservative mother. It's rarely a good sign when you can map out the beats of a story based on its cultural premise, but A Nice Indian Boy finds numerous visual and thematic ways to buck that trend.

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It stands out, first and foremost, through its bustling visual energy, which not only captures the chaos and excitement constantly unfolding around Naveen — at weddings, family meetings, or parties hosted by Jay's outgoing friends — but also serves to magnify his glum stillness as the camera pushes in and pulls out prominently during both comedy beats and charged emotional moments. The film's comedy and drama stem from the same place: the tension of expectations, whether it involves Naveen wrestling with his prescribed role as an Indian man in the West; the implications of his queerness, according to his parents; or how Jay will fit into the Gavaskars' family dynamic.

What Jay yearns for, as a perpetual outsider who found love in an Indian household once before, is just as vital to the movie as Naveen's search for emotional authenticity. And when the film begins drawing more overtly from Bollywood iconography, it weaves together its grandiose romance from both their perspectives. To Jay, Hindi cinema is the ultimate expression of love and acceptance. To Naveen, it's a cheesy façade. The truth, it turns out, may lie somewhere in between, with Sethi presenting the story's key turning points as stylistic handshakes between formal grandeur and naturalistic, self-aware comedy, without compromising either character’s point of view. The movie's sweeping declarations are as bold and unapologetic as they are goofy and silly, so they end up running the emotional gamut.

Rarely has a rom-com been this simultaneously hysterical and touching, though despite its boisterous tone, its biggest strength may very well be its silent moments. The father-son pairing of Naveen and Archit tend to find solace in silence, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon. So, in order to draw them out of their comfort zones, A Nice Indian Boy becomes a film about gestures both big and small. Its most heartrending moments arrive in the form of these two men — separated by generational disconnect, but bound by common cultural expectations — adapting to other people's modes of expression in the small ways they're able to. Over the course of the film, they learn to speak other people's love languages, leading to rousing, overwhelming moments (some of them in delightful musical form). 

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In a just world, A Nice Indian Boy would find instant distribution and be hailed alongside Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding as a realistic family portrait whose jagged edges aren't just riveting, but revelatory. It's as sweet and funny as they come, and the kind of crowd-pleaser destined to leave your heart feeling full.

A Nice Indian Boy is currently seeking distribution.

UPDATE: Sep. 25, 2024, 5:01 p.m. EDT A Nice Indian Boy was reviewed out of its World Premiere at SXSW 2024 on March 23, 2024. This post has been updated to note its East Coast Premiere at NewFest, where it was the opening night film.