With the year 1981 in the title, the movie was supposed to be released in 1981. But producer Marichu Maceda waited a year for a chance to exhibit the film, fearing that its scenes of violence and explicit attack on martial law, then still in effect as imposed by Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972, would not be appreciated by the censor board. However, Marcos' daughter Aimee Marcos, at the time a leader of the youth sector that pushes for the movie, held a premiere showing at a plush suburban theater.
The film was a joint venture between Sampaguita Pictures and LVN, two Filipino film studios that were legends of Philippine Cinema's Golden Age, as well as rivals in the business. Although the studio and facilities continued to exist until 2005, this was one of the last productions to be made by LVN.
Mark Gil's son to Bing Pimentel, Timothy, eventually used his father's character name in this movie ( Sid Lucero) as his screen name when he entered show business. He was just one year old when this film was released.
The actress who played Mark Gil's love interest in this film, Bing Pimentel, was actually his wife in real life at that time.
The performance number of the Alpha Kappa Omega frat was a mash up of the songs "Wilkomen" and "Money Money" from the musical film Cabaret (1972).