Abin Joseph, a journalist and short story writer who won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award, wrote the film. The film featured music by Jakes Bejoy, cinematography by Vijay, and editing by Shameer Muhammed.
Apart from Tovino Thomas, Narivetta also starred Suraj Venjaramoodu, Arya Salim, Priyamvadha Krishnan, and Rini Udayakumar in key roles. Narivetta also marked the debut of Tamil actor-director Cheran in Malayalam cinema.
The movie was produced by Tippu Shah and Shiyas Hassan under the banner of Indian Cinema Company.
Anuraj Manohar debuted as a director with Ishq (2019), headlined by Shane Nigam and Ann Sheethal. He announced his second directorial, Sekhara Varma Rajavu, with Nivin Pauly, who was supposed to bankroll it. However, the film has been postponed for some reason, and went onto floors in August 2024. However, the filmmaker came up with Narivetta with Tovino Thomas.
Inspired by the 2003 Muthanga incident, Narivetta follows a newly appointed officer caught in a political conspiracy.
According to Onmanorama report, on 19 February 2003, a violent confrontation occurred inside the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad district, Kerala. During an eviction operation by police and forest officials, clashes broke out with Adivasi protestors who had occupied the area. The operation ended with two deaths—one police officer and one tribal protester. The incident received widespread media attention and became a subject of debate in the state.