Bollywood veteran art director Nitin Desai dies at 58: A look into his stellar career

Indian art director and production designer Nitin Chandrakant Desai, known for his work in Bollywood films including Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar, died on Wednesday, according to local media reports. He was 58.

Desai was reportedly found dead at his studio in the Raigad district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Police suspected that he died by suicide.

Desai was a well-respected figure in the industry, working his way up through the years.

He kicked off his career as an assistant art director with the Indian television film Tamas in 1987-88 and later worked in several TV series like Kabir (1988-1990) and Chanakya (1991), reported Indian news agency PTI.

After working for a short span with the daily soap Chanakya, Desai made his debut as an independent art director. His other works include TV series namely Bharat Ek Khoj, Kora Kagaz, and Swabhimaan.

Bollywood debut

Superstar Salman Khan’s 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam marked Desai's Bollywood debut as an art director.

He went on to work in Aamir Khan’s Lagaan (2001), Shah Rukh Khan’s Devdas and Swades, and the 2008 film Jodhaa Akbar starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He was also part of the 2015 film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.

Desai was also behind some iconic sets of films including Sanjay Dutt’s Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). He last worked as an art director in Ashutosh Gowariker’s 2019 film Panipat, the report added.

In 2005, Desai opened his 52-acre ND Studios in Karjat, Raigad district, where sets of many films were built including Jodhaa Akbar and Indian reality TV show Bigg Boss, the report stated.

Accolades

Desai had bagged four National Film Awards for Best Art Direction and three Filmfare Best Art Direction Awards, as per PTI.

In 2016, he received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, the report added.

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