Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2013: Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Lunchbox

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Lunchbox did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Shaikh in Lunchbox.

Lunchbox is a sweet little film about a retiring widower, Saajan (Irrfan Khan), who strikes up a friendship through notes with a housewife, who prepares his meals, via his lunchbox.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui features in a subplot within that main story, as the man set to replace Saajan once he is retired. Siddiqui's performance is near caricature, though not quite there, in his opening few scenes as he puts on more than an ounce of eagerness in his eyes and every delivery as Shaikh tries to make a good impression on Saajan. This, however, is not a criticism as this sets up the character well as Siddiqui's performance, which as I said doesn't quite become caricature, brings the right thinness to really the act his Shaikh is putting on for his mentor. This is evidenced through Siddiqui's performance which delivers the right nuance to the character once Saajan makes it quite clear that Shaikh's people pleaser every-second-of-the-day routine isn't really going to work for him. Siddiqui tones it down considerable revealing the act that was seen before, and from then on features a far more down to earth performance appropriately. His performance then changes to become fairly reactionary as Shaikh reveals a bit about himself, but more so reveals a bit more of his somewhat difficult past as well.

Siddiqui changes to a proper naturalistic approach in his work offering the right interest in his eyes, and a genuine warmth in his voice as he engages with the older man's wisdom far more without the pretense. He and Khan strike up an appropriate chemistry with one another, with Siddiqui evoking this real interest in his eyes as he looks upon and listens to Saajan. These scenes of a more honest mentor/protege relationship are relatively brief in their snippets, yet all well portrayed in both actors bringing out this bit more warmth and sense of empathy between the two in each successive scene. Siddiqui's own work is relatively subdued yet certainly effective in just creating this likable, if somewhat flawed, man trying to learn something from his experience. His one major scene outside of the relationship is late in the film as he tries to help the housewife find Saajan, after he has retired. Siddiqui does some fine work to be sure, giving an earnest depiction of the support of the young man who has invested a great deal in the plight of the older man. Much like the film, this is a nice little performance, that I really didn't require anymore from, even if limited within itself. Siddiqui gives a good performance, that just matches the film's heart with his honest turn.