Rahman had planned to sign in advertisement filmmaker and Scribe band vocalist Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy on board to direct his first feature film.

[12] Vishwesh who is known for directing the teleseries Bring on the Night and The Dewarist had also expressed his interest in making a feature film, for which he left the musical band.

[15] A first look of the poster which released in March 2016, featured a boy flying in mid-air holding a girl's hand in one and an afloat piano in the other, although the details regarding the lead pair were undeciphered.

[18][19] It was due to the 2016 Indian Line of Control strike, followed by which the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association banned all Pakistani actors and technicians from working in India and many films featuring Pakistani actors which included Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,[a] faced threats from exhibitors and activists, citing this reason.

[21] With the help of casting director Mukesh Chhabra, more than 1,000 auditions took place before the makers finalized debutants Ehan Bhat and Edilsy Vargas, as the lead actors of the film in October 2017.

The teaser of the film released during December 2017 at a musical concert in Ahmedabad,[24] featured the lead cast members along with Tenzin Dalha, Aditya Seal, Manisha Koirala and Lisa Ray along with renowned musicians Ranjit Barot, Rahul Ram, Thomson Andrews, Remo Fernandes among others.

[citation needed] The project was expected to kickstart production in the end of 2015 after completing Rahman's works in Tamasha and Mohenjo Daro, however the delay over the casting process had prompted the makers to put the shoot on hold.

[25][24] After Rahman officially announced Ehan Bhat through social media,[44][45] the actor joined the composer on the reality show The Voice which telecasted on Star Plus.

[48] The trailer unanimously received applause from viewers, praising the graphics, cinematography and background score, making it as "musically and visually stunning".

[60][61] Despite, restrictions due to second wave of coronavirus, Rahman insisted to release 99 Songs in theatres, as he stated that "it is a cinematic experience meant for the big screen".

[63] The special premiere of the Tamil version was held at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai, which saw the attendance of Keerthy Suresh, Vijay Sethupathi, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Silambarasan.

[65] M. Suganth, editor-in-chief of The Times of India gave three out of five stars saying "even though the final portions, like the beginning, feel rushed, Rahman's entrancing music and the spectacular visuals keep us glued till the end".

[66] Similarly, Ronak Kotecha writing for the same entertainment website had stated " '99 Songs' has all the elements of an emotional love story with music at its core.

"[67] Avinash Ramachandran of The New Indian Express wrote "With raw performers with a lot of talent, a stellar support cast, and Rahman’s brilliant music, 99 Songs could have been the Rockstar of our times.

"[71] Nandini Ramanath of Scroll.in wrote "Despite an impressive performance by lead actor Ehan Bhat and several soulful tunes, 99 Songs is that rare beast – an uninvolving saga about the joys and healing power of music.

"[73] Udita Jhunjhunwala of Firstpost gave three out of five and summarised "Ehan Bhat's impassioned performance in 99 Songs complements AR Rahman and the director's vision".

[76] Urmila Bannerjee of BollywoodLife gave two out of five and stated "AR Rahman tells a story loaded with emotions but sadly the execution does not leave a strong impression".