The Umesh Chronicles marks Sircar’s first collaboration with Khan. As one of Irrfan’s closest friends, the filmmaker is naturally overprotective of the late actor’s son. “I was always worried about Babil. I was very close to Irrfan, and for Babil, I think like a parent. I feel responsible for him. He and his mother Sutapa [Sikdar] drop in at my office the way Irrfan used to. We have chai and jhalmuri, and talk of movies. Babil will have to take his movies one by one. It’s a lot of pressure for him, and it’s important to keep his sanity when he is making choices. That talent he has and the star he hopes to become must be balanced. It’s his career, not Irrfan’s. He should never forget why he is doing what he is doing; he shouldn’t get lost in the glitz and glamour.”

It helps that Khan stars alongside Bachchan in the movie. The megastar is a constant fixture in Sircar’s films, be it the unreleased Shoebite or Piku (2015) or Gulabo Sitabo (2020). How does he rope in Bachchan so frequently? “It’s always the script. That’s my biggest learning after years of working with him. If he connects with the story, you’ve won him over. He has been our support system. I was noticed because he agreed to do my films. He taught me that the written word is sacrosanct.”