The film is a periodic drama based on the Indian national army setup by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the war to liberate India that was fought on the shores of the Irrawaddy in Burma. The British called the soldiers of the INA renegades and Japanese stooges and a trial was held at the Redfort in Delhi that was called the Red fort trials of 1945. Raag Desh brings to life that epic trial that paved the way for India's Freedom and those meteoric times.
Shah Nawaz Khan, the titular character portrayed by Kunal Kapoor, who was a prominent Indian politician, is the maternal Grandfather of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
During the scripting stage, Tigmanshu wanted Hrithik Roshan for Kunal Kapoor's role and Ajay Devgn for Amit Sadh. Then after that did'nt work out Tigmanshu wanted the project to be a 6 hour long period documentary to be shown on TV in 2 parts.
The film did not have a theatrical release in British Columbia, Canada.