Director Ramesh Talwar said he wasn't interested in directing 'Zamana' as it was based on the 'lost and found' trope. Ramesh said he agreed to do the film on condition that he'll get paid as much as writers Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. "They were shocked. They said 'Are you mad?' We charge ₹14 lakh, ₹7 lakh each'," he recalled.