Renowned art director Nitin Desai dies by suicide at his ND Studios in Karjat

On Wednesday morning, well-known art director Nitin Desai died by suicide. He reportedly died by hanging himself at his own ND Studios in the suburb of Karjat. Nitin passed away a week before his 58th birthday, which is on August 9. It's unclear what led him to take his own life.

In terms of art direction, Nitin 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.

In 2005, he launched the ambitious ND Studios in the Mumbai suburb of Karjat. Multiple film productions have used the studio's 52 acres for location shooting, with Jodha Akbar being the most notable. ND Studios has hosted a wide variety of productions, from films to reality TV shows like Bigg Boss, for a few seasons.

Nitin then went on to experiment with directing and producing films after working as an art director and production designer for a while. In 2003, with the release of Desh Devi Maa Ashapura, he began a career in film production. In the years that followed, he branched out into TV show production, and his Marathi serial Raja Shivchhatrapati became a smash hit with the local audience.

One of the most well-known Marathi performers, Shripad Rajhans, was the subject of a biography titled Balgandharva, which he produced in 2011. As a filmmaker, he has helmed two features, Hello Jai Hind! and Ajintha.

Earlier this year, Nitin's daughter Mansi tied the knot, and the wedding festivities took place at the ND Studios.

May he rest in peace!