Art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai dies by suicide at 57; was under debt of Rs 252 crore

Art director and producer, Nitin Chandrakant Desai has died by suicide at the age of 57. According to reports, Nitin was found dead at his studio in Karjat, Maharashtra. Police said prima facie, it looks like a case of death by suicide and further investigation is on. “Today morning, Shri Nitin Desai’s body was found hanging in ND Studios. We are investigating all angles,” Somnath Gharge, SP, Raigad said in a statement. His last rites will be performed on Friday.

As per a PTI report, Desai had defaulted on a Rs 252-crore loan to its financial creditor, and a bankruptcy court had admitted an insolvency petition against his company last week. Desai’s company, ND’s Art World Pvt Ltd, had borrowed Rs 185 crore through two loans from ECL Finance in 2016 and 2018, and troubles with repayments started from January 2020. In an order passed by NCLT, the total default amount was Rs 252.48 crore as on June 30, 2022. In its reply before the passing of the order, Desai’s company had said that there was a fire incident at the studio on May 7, 2021 which resulted in loss of property and blamed the creditors for sending a recovery notice on the same day. As per a report in local media, the financial creditor had approached district authorities in Raigad to take possession of ND Studio a few months ago. However, it is yet to be ascertained why the art director took the extreme step.

BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, a close friend of Desai, told Hindustan Times, “I used to often speak and counsel him. I had told him Amitabh Bachchan had faced immense losses and come back again. We had told him that even if the studio was attached due to loans, he could start afresh. It’s very sad to hear about his death.”

Also Read | Vivek Agnihotri writes about ‘lonely deaths in Bollywood’ hours after Nitin Desai demise: ‘In this bad world, never ever trust anyone’

Police personnel at Nitin Chandrakant Desai’s ND Studio. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

Film and TV personalities expressed shock at his demise, and paid tributes. Director Vivek Agnihotri wrote, “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… Nitin not only loved Pallavi and I, he always guided me even in films we didn’t do together. Why Nitin, why? ॐ शांति।” In another cryptic tweet, he wrote about ‘lonely deaths of Bollywood’ but didn’t name anyone. Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar postponed OMG 2 trailer in his memory. “Unbelievably sad to know about the demise of Nitin Desai. He was a stalwart in production design and such a big part of our cinema fraternity. He worked on so many of my films… this is a huge loss. Out of respect, we are not releasing the OMG 2 trailer today. Will launch it tomorrow at 11am. Om Shanti,” Akshay tweeted.

Actor Riteish Deshmukh paid his condolences. “Deeply shocked to know that #NitinDesai, a legendary Production Designer who has contributed immensely to the growth of Indian cinema in no more. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. I had known him for years.. soft spoken, humble, ambitious & a visionary… you will be missed my friend. Om Shanti 🙏🏽,” he wrote.

Actor Sanjay Dutt wrote, “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.”

Siddhartha Basu, who worked with Desai on popular reality shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati and Dus Ka Dum, said he was shocked to hear about the passing of his “friend and artistic collaborator”. “He made sets for so many of our shows – KBC, Kamzor Kadi, Heartbeat, Bluffmaster, Dus ka Dum, Sach ka Saamna.. Conjuring world class installations on an industrial scale. Om shanti,” Basu wrote on Twitter.

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh also paid his tribute, “Cannot accept the heartbreaking news . Our beloved #nitindesai has left for his heavenly abode 🙏🏻🙏🏻. He was simply a genius. A visionary artist with grace,style who understood not just his craft but people. He was a positive soul who spread only love to all . My God give his family strength 🙏🏻. Om Shanti 🙏🏻”.

A renowned art director, Nitin Desai worked on a number of Hindi and Marathi films. He worked extensively with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, creating the magnificent sets for many of his films including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Bajirao Mastani. He also worked with filmmakers like Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Ashutosh Gowariker. The last film that he served as the art director was the 2019 war epic drama Panipat, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.

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Mumbai-based Desai studied photography at JJ School of Arts and started as the fourth assistant director on the sets of the TV show Tamas. The first time his work was recognised was in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1994 film, 1942: A Love Story. In 2008, Nitin got the opportunity to design the set of Slumdog Millionaire 2008.

Other films to the credit of the late art director include, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Dostana, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Munnabhai MBBS, Mission Kashmir, Josh and Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, among many others. He also opened his film studio, ND Studios in 2005 on the outskirts of Mumbai at Karjat.

Nitin’s work was much appreciated. He won the National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times (Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Lagaan, Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) and the Filmfare Best Art Direction Award three times (Devdas, Khamoshi, 1942: A Love Story).

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