3 min readMumbaiOct 31, 2014 09:52 AM IST
First published on: Oct 31, 2014 at 03:24 AM IST
A 150-ft wide LED display in the backdrop will come together to form the image of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Raigad fort (Source: Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)
At the precise moment when Devendra Fadnavis takes stage to take the oath as the first BJP Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the pixels on the mammoth 150-ft wide LED display in the backdrop will come together to form the image of Chhatrapati Shivaji at the state’s Raigad fort. The LED screen will project the seat of power, as a symbolic backdrop to the Nagpur native as he takes charge as the 18th CM of the state.
The BJP has roped in Bollywood art director and production designer Nitin Desai to deck up Wankhede Stadium, where the new government will be sworn in, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Fadnavis will take his oath while paying tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji.A visual of the Vidhan Bhavan and the Raigad Fort will be projected side by side,” said Desai.
Desai, who has worked as an art director and production designer for nearly three decades, is a multiple National Award winner and worked in several prominent Bollywood projects.
READ: Star-studded coronation awaits Fadnavis
This, however, is not his first political event — he was part of the set design of the 61st birthday of the then Maharashtra CM in 1997.
Desai was in hospital when he was approached by the BJP for the event. “When I was contacted by Ashish Shelar, BJP’s Mumbai city president, I was in hospital after Diwali with an infection and a saline attached. I removed the saline and told the doctor that I couldn’t miss the opportunity to work for a state function,” he said.
He was whisked away o the BJP headquarters in Nariman Point and into a meeting with Shelar. “Later that night, I met Vinod Tawde and Fadnavis. I sketched my first draft on the hospital card. I mailed the sketch to my office, which made a formal presentation,” he said.
READ: Shiv Sena to skip Devendra Fadnavis swearing-in today
Fadnavis’s brief, Desai said, was to show the transformation of ancient Maharashtra to modern Maharashtra.
“He said he wanted to reach to the people. They should feel he was taking his oath in their midst,” he said.
Desai has incorporated elements from across the state for the venue décor. “We have recreated images of the Ajanta Caves, the Trimurti from Ellora Caves, the Shivaji statue from the Raigad Fort, as well as pillars and columns from several monuments, temples and forts in Maharashtra,” he said.
A 150-ft wide LED display in the backdrop will come together to form the image of Chhatrapati Shivaji at Raigad fort (Source: Express photo by Prashant Nadkar)
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