The film was produced by Indian Americans Gummaluri Sastry and Meer Abdulla, who initiated the project after meeting Jandhyala and musician S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.
As he had no sons, the family is afraid that Tom, a white American, won't be able to conduct the traditional last rites as the deceased's closest male relative, but he insists on taking the responsibility and cremates his father-in-law's body as the sun sets.
20 years earlier, Sandhya arrives with her family in the United States after her father finds a job there with the help of his younger brother Rama Rao who is already living in the US.
Sandhya's father Adinarayana, a staunch traditionalist, is confused by American culture and sticks to his traditions despite Rama Rao's attempts to make him assimilate and everyone else's bemusement.
One day, Ganapathi takes Sandhya to the supermarket but abandons her after hearing of a new ice cream shop, causing her to panic.
Because of the language barrier, he decides to take her to an Indian family he knows and they end up arriving at Seshagiri Rao's house, where they learn they are neighbours.
After losing them, the couple realise they have no money and manage to satiate their hunger with some milk found in the RV's fridge.
After Ronald spots them and tells Rama Rao, he goes to them and ends up resolving the matter by suggesting holding two ceremonies – one at a church and another at a temple.
In the present, Sandhya gives a message on how all humans are equal, proceeded by Chris talking about his appreciation of Indian culture.
This ended up giving Sastry and Abdulla the chance to meet Jandhyala and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, leading to the idea of the film being conceived and developed.
However, the initial actor chosen dropped out under uncertain circumstances, with Abdulla claiming that he had left after getting a last-minute offer from Hollywood in 2006 but then stating that he did not know the reason in 2010.
[1] The American portion was filmed first, with most of the scenes being shot in the residences and shops of Sastry's and Abdulla's friends and neighbours in the Washington metropolitan area.
[5][6] Jahnavi Reddy of The News Minute analysed Padamati Sandhya Ragam as being a precursor to Indian films about international romance that have been released after the country's liberalisation and mass migration to the United States began.
One song from the film, "Life is Shabby", gained renewed attention in the late 2010s due to its odd English lyrics and use of rap, which is significantly different from S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's usual style.