Nawazuddin Siddiqui rubbishes reports of him and Irrfan being at ‘loggerheads’ with each other on The Lunchbox

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui on the eighth anniversary of the film The Lunchbox, dismissed rumours of on-set discord between him and his co-star, late actor Irrfan Khan. In fact, he said, Irrfan was like a brother to him, and even took him along to meet director Danny Boyle without an appointment. 

In an interview, Nawazzudin Siddiqui said that he had many fond memories of working with Irrfan on The Lunchbox, which also featured Nimrat Kaur. Directed by Ritesh Batra, the film told the story of two people who connect with each other after a case of mistaken identity.

Speaking to a leading daily, Nawazuddin refuted reports that he was at ‘loggerheads’ with Irrfan, and said, “Irrfan bhai was like my older brother and I have several precious memories of working with him, even before The Lunchbox happened.”

He added, "When the casting for Slumdog Millionaire was going on, he took me to meet Danny Boyle without an appointment. Imagine walking in to meet such a big director without any prior notice. Finally, both of us were cast in the movie, but unfortunately, when the shoot began, I was busy with another movie. So, my part was then offered to another actor. I have learned a lot from Irrfan bhai... even how to meet a big Hollywood director without an appointment.”

Slumdog Millionaire went on to become a sleeper hit and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto and others, Slumdog Millionaire also served as a launching pad for Irrfan in Hollywood. The actor subsequently appeared in Life of Pi, The Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World, and other projects. He died at the age of 53 last year, after a two-year battle with cancer.