This film was a biopic of the Kashmiri poet Ghulam Ahmed Mahjoor (1887 - 1952). It was a labour of love for actor Balraj Sahni who conceptualised the film. He first came across Mahjoor in the 1930s while visiting Kashmir. In 1938, he wrote an article about the poet in an English language periodical published by Rabindranath Tagore's Viswa Bharati University where he was employed at the time. Balraj Sahni's admiration for the poet, and his disappointment over his icon not receiving the attention he thought he deserved, drove him to focus his energies on the making of this film in the 1960s. The film was made simultaneously in two languages, Urdu and Kashmiri, with a contribution of 10 lakh rupees by the State government of Jammu & Kashmir. While Prem Dhawan composed the music for the Urdu version, the music for the Kashmiri version was composed by Mohan Lal Aima. However, the film failed because it was found to be thematically weak and because the supporters of politician Sheikh Abdullah boycotted it for making no reference to their leader despite the mutual admiration he and Mahjoor had for each other.
This film was launched in the mid-1960s and EP records for some of its songs were also released then. However, the film's production was delayed and it was released only in 1972.
Real-life father and son Balraj Sahni and Parikshat Sahni (credited as Ajay Sahni) played father and son in this film. While Parikshat Sahni played the titular role, Balraj played the role of his father, Peerzada Abdullah Shah.
