Rajat Kapoor, Suhasini Maniratnam, Arjun Mathur, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee and Rajeev Ravindranathan play supporting roles in the film.

Principal photography started in November 2014 in the South Indian coastal city of Kochi; Neha Parti served as the cinematographer for the film.

Shiv Natraj (Naseeruddin Shah), an elderly psychology professor, arrives at a hospital in Kochi to visit his comatose wife Pankaja (Suhasini Maniratnam).

Tara's best friend Ishita (Ratnabali Bhattacharjee) arrives at Kochi and advises her to start chanting prayers and to inform Rajat's estranged parents of his situation.

[9] Entertainment website Bollywood Hungama reported that Kalki Koechlin was set to star in Menon's upcoming film.

[10] Koechlin's co-star from That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Naseeruddin Shah, joined the cast after he was approached by Menon, who sent him the film's script in an e-mail.

[13] In an interview with Gulf News, Koechlin said she loved the film's vibe and compared it to the American drama Lost In Translation (2003).

[14] In a separate e-mail interview with Arti Daniel of The Khaleej Times, Shah said that Waiting was his way of making up to the audience for the spate of "ghastly movies" that he did in 2014.

[15] South Indian actress and director Suhasini Maniratnam made her debut in Hindi cinema with Waiting; she was cast in the role of Pankaja, Shah's character's wife.

"[8] In an interview with The Hindu, Koechlin revealed that throughout the production process, she questioned Menon several times as she wanted to better understand her character's background.

She described Waiting as a "gentle and poignant film" and said, "It would make the audiences want to reach out to the leading characters and help them find their answers.

[22] The first song on the album, "Tu Hai Toh Main Hoon", a pop ballad by Manchanda and D'Souza, was released on YouTube on 4 May 2016.

[22] Manish Gaekwad of Scroll.in gave a mixed review; he was analogous in the praise of the "pleasant" nature of the tracks, but was critical of the lyrics that didn't go beyond the "greeting-card sentiment".

[34][33] Menon talked about the challenges of promoting an independent film and attracting viewers saying, "The distribution is first weekend collection driven [...] Those depending on a buzz created by word of mouth are at a disadvantage.

"[35] The film had a special screening prior to its theatrical release which was attended by the cast and crew and other Bollywood celebrities including: Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Apte, Huma Qureshi, Rajkummar Rao and Adil Hussain.

[44] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film the highest praise and deemed it "a well-chiselled marvel" saying: "Waiting is at once heart-wrenching and uplifting ... marked by deep philosophical undertones, but it is never unduly ponderous.

"[46] For Namrata Joshi of The Hindu, the script was "dignified [and] without any false notes", and the film managed "to stand on its own emotional ground ...

"[47] Mohar Basu of The Times of India called the film "thought-provoking" writing: "Menon has whipped up a warm tale about love, loss and surviving life's catastrophic blows, with such simplicity.

Guha in his review remarked "this film belongs to Kalki, who impresses by managing to wordlessly convey her character's state of mind in every scene".

[49] Chatterjee, offering a similar observation, wrote that Koechlin "provides the ideal foil, adding immensely to the emotional depth of the tale and heightening the conflict between two unlike poles".

[45] In her review for Rediff.com Sukanya Verma called the film "absolutely riveting", and wrote of Koechlin that "[t]here's something stunningly unhindered about Kalki and her aura.

"[52] In her review for Firstpost, Anna M. M. Vetticad wrote that the leading pair "shine in a lovely film" noting that chemistry between them was "unmistakable".

[53] Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times summed up her review by writing, "Packaged with Naseeruddin as the adorable old man ... and Kalki as the charming young, energetic woman, Waiting is a delight.

"[54] While acknowledging the "underdeveloped and overwritten" parts of the plot, Gupta was nonetheless appreciative of Koechlin and Shah, calling them good fits for their roles.

[51] Rajeev Masand writing for News18 offered similar observations; he criticized the "weak" plotting, but talked well of the characters: "you yearn for them to just shut up and soak in the silence.

Also lauding Shah's "real" and Koechlin's "endearing" performances, he wrote that Waiting, "raises important questions about life, love, and letting go.

Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times called the film a "tragic, witty affair" and praised the humour of presenting the contrast between Shiv and Tara.

[28] Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International lauded the cinematography and Neha Parti Mtiyani's "dignified lenswork" and wrote further, "Waiting simmers in its locales without being brash or boastful; the colours of India are there, glowing at the sidelines."

[56] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter also gave it a positive review calling the film: "A tender, often humorous tale with sparkling performances."

In her opinion, "Koechlin does an exceptional job navigating the shoals of this as a kooky drama queen" while "Shah brings great feeling and complexity to the role of the wise, tolerant Shiv.