Mumbai: Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar has revealed that the romantic instincts of late actor Irrfan Khan almost led to a different ending for their 2015 film Piku.

Speaking at a special screening of ‘A Story That Refused to Die’, a documentary on Paan Singh Tomar, Sircar fondly recalled an incident from the sets of Piku. The film, a comedy-drama about the relationship between a father and daughter played by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone, featured Irrfan as Rana Chaudhary, a witty taxi business owner.

Sircar said that during the filming of the final sequence — in which the characters played by Padukone and Irrfan are seen playing badminton, the late actor suggested an alternative ending. Irrfan proposed that his character should enter the house after the scene, believing it would add a romantic touch to the film.

“Irrfan came to me and said, ‘Should I not go inside?’ I asked him why, and he said that since it’s a romantic film, it would make sense for his character to go in,” Sircar recalled. Although the scene was filmed as an option, the director ultimately decided not to include it in the final edit.

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Irrfan, widely regarded as one of India’s most versatile actors, starred in acclaimed films such as The Lunchbox, Hindi Medium and Maqbool. He died in April 2020 at the age of 54 after battling cancer.

Sircar, known for directing films like Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe and Sardar Udham, said Irrfan continues to influence his creative process.

“Whenever I write something, I think of Irrfan. He would bring soul and heart to a film without doing much, just by being there,” he said.

The documentary was screened on April 29 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre to mark the sixth death anniversary of the actor. Sircar said he was deeply engaged by the film, noting that it reflected Irrfan’s enduring fascination with the magic of cinema.