RIP, Desai
Bollywood art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai was found dead in his studio in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Wednesday. Desai’s body was found hanging in his ND studio in Karjat, 80 kilometres outside Mumbai, and police suspect it to be a case of suicide.
Reportedly, Desai was defaulting on repayments of his about Rs 250-crore loan and the bankruptcy court had given a green signal to the insolvency petition against his company.
Desai was 57 and would have celebrated his birthday on the coming Wednesday.
Desai’s career spanned over 30 years and in between he also tried his hands at production with devotional film, Desh Devi Maa Ashapura, in 2003. One of his hit productions was Marathi show, Raja Shivchhatrapati. Desai stepped into the world of art direction as fourth assistant to noted art director Nitish Roy for TV serial Tamas (1987).
It was TV show Chanakya, which landed him his first independent gig in the profession from its 26th episode, when an extension was ordered by the channel. Desai ventured into films with Bhookamp (1993), but it was Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s directorial 1942: A Love Story, which earned him a name in the industry. It’s a coincidence that the art director’s last post on Instagram was also made in remembrance of this 29-year old project starring Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala.
Eye for aesthetics
While Desai was an expert in his line of work, his eye for aesthetics and art is evident from the 52-acre ND Studios in Karjat, which he had built. Films like 1942: A Love Story, Parinda, Salaam Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical, Pyaar to Hona Hi Tha, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Raju Chacha, Jodhaa Akbar, Mela and Mission Kashmir were shot in this studio.
Out of the four films, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Lagaan and Devdas, which won him National Award for Best Art Direction, Desai was a production designer for the last three. There are only two other art directors who have won equivalent number of awards in this field.
He worked with some of the renowned filmmakers such as Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He last worked in Panipat (2019) and the series Paurashpur, as art director and production designer, respectively. He was also working in another big budget period series, starring Gurmeet Choudhary and Ridhima Pandit, titled Maharana, based on the life of Maharana Partap. He also ventured into direction with the film, Hello Jai Hind! (2011) and Marathi film Ajintha (2012). —TNS & Agencies
Tweet trail
I am heartbroken and sad beyond control to learn about my dearest friend Nitin Desai’s death. A legendary production designer, a visionary who made ND Studio… He always guided me, even in films we didn’t do together. Why Nitin, why? Om Shanti! – Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, Director
“Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Nitin Desai. A brilliant art director and a good friend, his contribution to Indian cinema has been monumental. My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.” – Sanjay Dutt, Actor
“Just heard the devastating news about the passing of multiple National Award-winner art director Nitin Desai. It’s hard to believe. Had the privilege of working with him on four remarkable films. #TrafficSignal, #Fashion, #Jail & #InduSarkar. His immense talent and extrovert personality made every project unforgettable. Indian cinema has lost a true gem. Heartfelt condolences to his family members. We will miss you dada. #OmShanti.” –Madhur Bhandarkar, Director
Trailer launch delayed
Actor Akshay Kumar who was supposed to drop the trailer of his upcoming film OMG 2 on Wednesday, postponed it. He wrote, “Unbelievably sad to know about the demise of Nitin Desai. He was a stalwart in production design… this is a huge loss. Out of respect, we are not releasing the OMG 2 trailer today. Will launch it tomorrow at 11 am. Om Shanti.”
In shock
“I am shocked to hear the news. He was a very spiritual person, jovial and a highly creative artist. For me, he was the creator of creativity. My only question is why suicide dear Nitin? I am in shock and puzzled.” – Dolly Ahluwalia, Costume designer and Actress
