Directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, who co-wrote the screenplay with Akhil P. Dharmajan, the film is produced by Venu Kunnappilly, C.K.

The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Kunchacko Boban, Tovino Thomas, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain, Tanvi Ram, Aparna Balamurali, and Lal.

[5] Principal photography commenced in October 2019[6] and took place across different parts Kerala, such as Thrissur, Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, and Kollam as well as in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.

The music was composed by Nobin Paul and Francis Williams, whilst the cinematography and editing were handled by Chaman Chakko and Akhil George, respectively.

The film received generally positive reviews and emerged as a commercial success, grossing ₹177 crore (US$20 million) at the box office exceeding Pulimurugan (2016) until Manjummel Boys (2024) took over.

It became the fourth Malayalam film after Guru (1997), Adaminte Makan Abu (2011) and Jallikattu (2019) to be selected as India's official submission for the Academy Awards, although it failed to make the cut.

[12] In 2018, in a small village called Aruvikulam, Anoop, a former military officer haunted by the trauma of witnessing soldiers' deaths, works at a store owned by the visually impaired Bhasi.

Sethupathi, a truck driver from a drought-stricken Tamil Nadu village, crosses paths with Noora, a TV reporter covering the water scarcity crisis.

Nixon, Mathachan's son, defies family tradition by pursuing a modelling career, complicating his relationship with Jiji, Chandy's daughter.

Rameshan's family troubles intensify, prompting his return to Kerala, while Anoop's wedding plans face disruption due to heavy rainfall.

Anoop's heroism extends to aiding Air Force officers, saving a pregnant woman, and attempting to rescue a distressed family.

Shaan Rahman was supposed to compose the music for the film, with cinematography and editing handled by Jomon T. John and Mahesh Narayanan, respectively.

[19] Jude Anthony Joseph had conceived the film when he was approached by an NGO to document the heroic acts of thousands of people throughout the flood, giving a positive message for today's society.

[20] He started working with novelist Akhil P. Dharmajan on the screenplay initially completing the draft in June 2019 and began shooting at a school in Kalady in October 2019.

Jude Anthony said that Tovino's character was inspired by a news report that cited the incident of a man drowning during the rescue operations.

[22] When the film was announced In October 2019, Manju Warrier, Indrajith Sukumaran, Jayasurya, Kunchako Boban, Asif Ali, Indrans, and Tovino Thomas were all reported to be part of the cast.

[26] Vineeth Sreenivasan, Aparna Balamurali, Narain, Kalaiyarasan, Aju Varghese, Lal, Gauthami Nair and Sshivada were all confirmed to be part of the cast.

[33] Jude Anthony Joseph and art director Mohandas Pallakkotil discussed designing the sets in 2019, and how to present the flooding and rescue operations on-screen.

The sea sequence featuring Asif Ali, Lal, and Narain had a boat that was approaching the shore and also a ship, which was generated by CGI, and the other portions were filmed using artificial lights.

[40][41] The film's shooting took place across 102 days,[42] in 120 locations including Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Kollam, and Tirunelveli.

[74] Gopika Is of The Times of India gave a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The quality of the writing shows and Akhil P. Dharmajan and Jude has done a commendable job.

"[75] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The makers quickly establish that rain is a pervasive and influential character in the movie.

"[76] Janani K. of India Today gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Jude Anthany Joseph's 2018 is a film that reminds us of the Kerala floods.

"[78] Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTPlay gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Aided by a gripping storyline and stirring moments, Jude Anthany Joseph's 2018 tells the story of hope and resilience, and serves as a reminder of how the Kerala floods was a great leveller.

"[81] Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote "Jude Anthany Joseph's '2018: Everyone is a Hero' is a well-balanced film that will leave you satisfied, and keep you engaged till the end.

"[83] Serene Sarah George of Film Companion wrote, " In the polarized times we live in, we can sure do with a solid reminder of the power of togetherness.