This film was originally intended to be a 26-part Pink Panther miniseries produced by Blake Edwards for the British ATV. The ATV then decided to turn it into a "Movie-of-the-Week", followed by a move to a feature film.
The star figure (mathematically denoted {8,2}) used by Hindus to symbolize Ashtalakshmi (the eight forms of wealth) is a symbol which appears prominently in the Lugash national museum portrayed in the movie.
In this film, Peter Sellers plays Clouseau with an exaggerated French accent, including running gags involving his mispronunciation of words. In his previous performances, he used a straightforward accent. Clouseau is also portrayed as considerably more inept than he was in his previous appearances.
When Clouseau looks for Cato in the apartment, just before Cato attacks him, you can see a hanging coat moving. One of the crew must have touched the coat while following Clouseau.
Dreyfus: [after Clouseau has demolished two trucks and a swimming pool in Nice]
Now he's off to Gstaad. Today, a paradise in the Swiss Alps - tomorrow, a wasteland.