Dev Anand was approached by American director Tad Danielewski and writer Pearl Buck for an American film based on the 1958 novel "The Guide" by R. K. Narayan. Anand declined at first, but agreed to collaborate with Danielewski when he met him again at the 1962 Berlin Film Festival. Anand read the novel and contacted Buck, who invited him to the United States to discuss the project. He then reached Narayan to procure the rights to the book.