The first assistant director and the post-production supervisor, and , make a cameo appearance as a priest and peon, respectively. Linda Mandrayar first learned about the widows of from her son’s reading assignment by and her husband Dharan Mandrayar decided to make a film about them. The film was named because Dharan Mandrayar felt that the widows still have lot of life in them. The film began production after s (a film also about the Vrindavan widows) shooting was halted in 1999. Mandrayar was inspired to make this film after he read about a 13-year-old widow who was forced to go to Vrindavan. A critic from wrote that “Making a film on the plight of widows in a part of our country calls for strong conviction. Creator Dharan Mandrayar and Prabhu Movies have it in plenty. Otherwise they couldn’t have taken up the subject and laid bare the stigma, subjugation and disgrace the husbandless face in a so-called pious milieu”. Dennis Harvey of opined that “But writer-helmer Dharan Mandrayar lets episodic pic flatline between excessively melodramatic peaks; fans of florid bad acting will find the ham cut thick here. Tech aspects are decent”. A critic from opined that “On the whole, SHWET – WHITE RAINBOW is a poor fare. At the box-office, it’s a loser all the way”. A critic from the rated the film four out of five stars and wrote that “The writer/director Dharan Mandrayar should be commended for taking up such a controversial subject and portraying it effectively on screen”. A critic from wrote that “The film effectively attempts to highlight the plight of the widows in our society. Director Dharan Mandrayar, nephew of late Sivaji Ganesan should be applauded for the brave and sincere efforts”. The film won Best Feature Film at the .