Desai started his career in 1987, working on TV serials. He made his debut as an art director with ‘Parinda’ in 1989.
He designed lavish sets for blockbusters such as ‘1942: A Love Story’, ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and ‘Devdas’.
Desai won National Awards for ‘Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’, ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, ‘Lagaan’, ‘Devdas’. He also won 3 Filmfare Awards.
He turned producer in 2002 with Chandrakant Productions' ‘Desh Devi’, a devotional film on the Devi Mata of Kachch.
In 2005, Desai established ND Studios in Karjat where many popular films were shot.
Made acting debut with the 1998 TV show 'Hum Sab Ek Hain'. He got his 1st lead role in Marathi film 'Hello Jai Hind!’
The 2019 films, ‘Panipat’ and ‘Paurashpur’ were his most recent Bollywood projects.