After the debacle Hum Hain Bemisaal (1994), director Deepak Bahry wanted to have 'Sunil Shetty' as a lead actor in his upcoming film Dilruba. The film was started in 1995 but then was shelved due to a dispute between Bahry and Shetty. 'Chandar Sharma' (Bahry's assistant) completed the film with other lesser known actors after Bahry and Shetty, as well as lead actress Tabu, left the film incomplete. The film was changed from the original romantic Dilruba to murder mystery Khanjar, then released in 2003.