The story didn’t have a happy ending.
George Danelia showed his tragicomedy “Afonya” in 1975. The film became the leader of the box office and was recognized as a classic of Soviet cinema. And years later, the public learned that the creators of the picture planned a completely different ending for it.
So, the end of the film can be safely called happy. Afonya meets with Katya, who is in love with him. The audience understands that a happy future awaits the couple. However, in the first version of the script, Danelia prescribed a completely different, darker ending to the story.
In the final scenes, the hero of Leonid Kuravlev buys a ticket for the next flight at the ticket office. He is waiting for his departure when a policeman approaches him and asks for documents. And the picture ends with the fact that the law enforcement officer sees the tired face of Afonya himself and compares it with a cheerful picture from the passport.
But Danelia eventually abandoned this version. He decided not to injure the audience and gave his hero a happy life.