Nawazuddin Siddiqui reacts to rumours of rift with late actor Irrfan Khan: ‘We couldn’t spend time…’

Dismissing reports of tiff, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui confessed that he looked at late cine icon Irrfan Khan as his elder brother.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has come forward to dismiss long-standing rumours of a rift with his The Lunchbox co-star, late actor Irrfan Khan. In a recent interview, Nawazuddin clarified that the much-publicised chats around the tension was not a true reflection of the bond he shared with Irrfan.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui shared screen space with late actor Irrfan Khan in The Lunchbox.

Nawazuddin reacts

During an interview with Hindi Rush, Nawazuddin looked back at his bond with Irrfan, and went on to dismiss several rumours around the same.

When asked about the “rumours of a tiff” between Nawazuddin and Irrfan, the actor said, “That was just the news. I don’t think everything reported in the news is the truth. Our film couldn’t afford this. We were making the film in a very tight budget so we couldn’t spend time on such useless things.”

Confessing that he looked at Irrfan Khan as his elder brother, Nawazuddin said, "Irrfan bhai was my senior, and we shared a very long association. Even when he was preparing for his Hollywood films, I would be with him all the time. I'd read lines with him, give him cues, just so he could rehearse. His aashirvaad (blessing) has always been there. I saw him as an older brother."

Released in 2013, The Lunchbox wove together a love story of a lovelorn wife and a lonely man, played by Nimrat Kaur and Irrfan Khan, through a mistaken delivery of a dabba (lunchbox). The film was lauded at several international film extravaganzas in Cannes, Zurich, London and Toronto. It was also nominated in the Film Not in the English Language category of the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards.

Previously, Nawazuddin had revealed that he knew Irrfan from even before 2000. He also shared that Irrfan directed him in an hour-long film titled Alvida in 2007. Irrfan Khan passed away at the age of 53 in 2020 after suffering from a colon infection. He had been battling a neuroendocrine tumour since 2018.

Nawazuddin’s upcoming projects

Nawazuddin is known for films such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Badlapur, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and the web series Sacred Games, among many others. He recently appeared in the horror-comedy film Thamma, starring alongside Ayushmann Khurrana and Rashmika Mandanna. It was released during the Diwali period and has grossed around ₹125 crore worldwide.

Nawazuddin has diverse projects lined up. There is the heist thriller Faraar, in which he plays a physics professor opposite an international cast including Ilia Volok. He’s also part of Section 108, a film about one of India’s biggest alleged scams, and the cyber-drama Blind Babu, set for release in 2026. Other upcoming titles also include Noorani Chehra, Sangeen and Raat Akeli Hai 2.