[7] Vinod Kapri contacted Vishal Bhardwaj to work on the background score after watching the documentary, as he insisted to support the cause "musically and lyrically".

[5] For this documentary, Vishal composed "Marenge Toh Wahin Jaakar" and "O Re Bidesiya" with Gulzar writing the lyrics.

[8] The official trailer of 1232 KMS was released on YouTube on 17 March 2021,[9] and opened to positive response from critics and viewers.

[10][11] The film was released through Disney+ Hotstar on 24 March 2021,[12] as the announcement of the nationwide lockdown to curb COVID-19 pandemic, happened on the same date.

[13][a] Tatsam Mukherjee of Firstpost opined "In a country, where most news channels with far-reaching impact have let this crisis unfold in the background without any coverage, 1232 km lies in an enviable position without a contemporary film tackling a similar theme.

"[14] Nandini Ramnath writing for Scroll.in said, "The 86-minute documentary is a timely reminder of the perilous journeys of migrants during the 2020 lockdown".