The story is loosely based on Setara Hussainzada, the first woman to compete on Afghanistan's popular talent show Afghan Star (2009), a television show similar in concept to American Idol (2002).
Was filmed in Morocco and Afghanistan.
The title of the movie is a reference to the song of the same name by the punk band The Clash. The song tells a fable-like story of a King, who bans rock music and is met with defiance by the population. The song's story was influenced by Iran's ban on Western music in 1979. In 1991, Joe Strummer wept when he received news that "Rock the Casbah" was written on the side of an American bomb that detonated in Iraq. The song does not appear in the movie, because the filmmakers were denied the rights to use it.
Kate Hudson and Zooey Deschanel went to high school together, and were also in Almost Famous (2000).