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

On the eighth anniversary of the film The Lunchbox, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui denied rumors of on-set conflict between him and his co-star, late actor Irrfan Khan. In fact, he described Irrfan as a brother to him, and he even accompanied him to meet director Danny Boyle without an appointment. 

Nawazzudin Siddiqui stated in an interview that he had many fond memories of working with Irrfan on The Lunchbox, which also starred Nimrat Kaur. The film, directed by Ritesh Batra, told the story of two people who meet after a case of mistaken identity. 

In an interview with a leading daily, Nawazuddin denied being at odds with Irrfan, saying, "Irrfan bhai was like my older brother, and I have several precious memories of working with him, even before The Lunchbox happened."

He further 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

- Nawaz Siddhiqui

Slumdog Millionaire went on to become a sleeper hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Slumdog Millionaire, which starred Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, and others, also served as a springboard for Irrfan in Hollywood. Following that, he appeared in Life of Pi, The Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World, and other films. He died last year at the age of 53, after a two-year battle with cancer.