Maqbool Salmaan was born in Vaikom, Kottayam district, Kerala as the son of television actor P. I. Ibrahim Kutty and his wife Sameena.

When this project shelved due to some technical reasons, Saajan approached Maqbool again with the script of Asuravithu.

[4] The acclaim Maqbool gained through Asuravithu helped still photographer Aneesh Upasana choose him for the lead role in Matinee, which would mark the latter's directorial debut.

The film was produced by AOPL Entertainment, which had earlier that year successfully launched Maqbool's cousin Dulquer Salmaan through Second Show.

"[6] His third film was Parayan Baaki Vechathu, released in 2014, a political thriller by Karim, who had earlier directed Agni Nakshatram.