Upon the film's release, leading man Sunil Dutt asked that film posters reflect Madhubala's seniority over him by giving her top billing, even though she was long dead.
The film was shot in the late 1950s when Asha Parekh was a unknown teenager. When it was finally released in 1971, she was already a major star and pushing 30. She wasn't pleased that Jwala was playing at the same time as her hit films Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971) and Caravan (1971) were playing.
This is the only film that Madhubala starred in that is completely shot in color. Her most famous film Mughal-e-Azam (1961) has some color sequences, but that film was mostly shot in black-and-white.
Leading lady Madhubala fell ill during filming. The film was shelved for a decade. After her death in 1969, filming resumed with various actresses doubling for Madhubala. The film was finally released in 1971 and wasn't a hit.