Nitin Desai’s last rites likely to take place at ND Studio on Friday

Prominent art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai breathed his last on Wednesday at his studio located in Raigad district of Maharashtra. While the reason for his untimely demise is still unknown, there are reports that financial crunch could be a reason. It is reported that he had allegedly defaulted on a significant loan of Rs 252 crore to a financial creditor, which subsequently led to a bankruptcy court admitting an insolvency petition against his company last week.

The art director’s associate told ETimes that Nitin’s last rites will be performed once his children come back from the US. He is currently in JJ hospital for post mortem.

His last rites will be performed on Friday. They will most likely take place at ND Studio.

Everybody present at the studio is not allowed to get out without investigation. Their phones are taken away for the same too.

Nitin Desai has gained widespread recognition for his contributions to notable projects such as Lagaan and Devdas. He established this expansive studio in the Khalapur taluka, situated on the outskirts of the financial hub. Films like Jodha Akbar were filmed there. His company, ND’s Art World, has been involved in organizing, upkeeping and operating replicas of historical monuments. Additionally, it offers various services related to hotels, theme restaurants, shopping malls and recreational centres.

Nitin passed away a week before his 58th birthday, which is on August 9. In terms of art direction, he won four National Awards. To name just a few, he worked on the production design of the sumptuous sets for the films by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ashutosh Gowariker, namely Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Jodha Akbar, Lagaan and Bajirao Mastani. In the course of his nearly two-decade-long career, Nitin collaborated with many filmmakers, which also included Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani, among others.