Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Boman Irani in 3 Idiots

Boman Irani did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Dr. Viru "Virus" Sahastrabuddhe in 3 Idiots.

3 idiots follows the trials and tribulations of 3 university students against the system man. 

The system represented by Boman Irani's character nicknamed the virus, who is the university professor who personifies the punitive system that emphasizes pressure over all else, and acts as the extreme enemy to our three "idiots". The three who aren't really your typical college comedy slackers, rather they more so just genuinely want a system that doesn't drive pressure at all cost collateral or otherwise. The Virus acts the opposite and is essentially the film's Dean Vernon Wormer, who very intensely acts as a villain in a seemingly lightweight scenario. Irani's performance very much fits this mold as his whole manner seems to be of a man with a stick in the place that they aren't intended for, yet often end up in. He's always a little hunched, always tense, his neck always seemingly very uncomfortable and his face filled with this low key distress at all times. Irani's delivery is the same as he brings this grumpy and intense demeanor to every line. Speaking every word as assured as possible in just how much he would rather drive students to be nervous wrecks and just remind everyone how they're not good enough. Irani presents this obsessive fixation but also a conviction of the man. And this is a funny performance because he is such a pent up grump in the role and just exudes this quality so potently. He acts as a proper foil by being absolutely the opposite of our happy go lucky heroes and just showing this vicious and unhappy man filled with so much anger. Irani's performance is very funny by over emphasizing all these traits to an extreme that makes him enjoyable as a man who takes himself and his position so aggressively. Where the film is probably the weakest I'd say is when it wants him to be a more genuine villain such as when he drives one student to suicide another to near suicide. Creating very real stakes I suppose, but it kind of makes Irani being a cartoon in a way feel less appropriate since he's capable of such severe casualties. They're also outliers in the scheme of the film, that mostly treats him as this over the top fool and that is where Irani's performance works, for every over the top reaction of the man who is constantly grimacing. Again I don't put these missteps on him, he's consistent, it's just an aspect of the film that I don't think works all that smoothly. The character eventually has a change of heart when the trio helps with the successful delivery of his grandchild, which is basically a moment of revelation, so the point is that it is somewhat sudden. Regardless as quick as it is, Irani delivers the moment well in just playing it very straight as the man finding some joy in life in a very simply sweet moment that is befitting the film's aggressively earnest tone. Leaving this as a funny, sort of slight villainous comedic turn, though I wouldn't say it is anything more than that.