'Lagaan' Art Director Nitin Chandrakant Desai Dies by Suicide
Desai took home National Awards for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Lagaan and Devdas.
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Celebrated art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai has died by suicide, as per reports. He was 58. Sources told ETimes that the art director and production designer ended his life at his studio in Karjat, near Mumbai. Desai was the owner of ND Studios.
In a career spanning 20 years, Desai worked with filmmakers such as Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He was the brain behind the sets of films like Lagaan, 1942: A Love Story, Devdas, Lage Raho Munnabhai and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. His last project as an art director was Gowariker's Panipat, that released in 2019. Desai had also created the sets for the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and took home National Awards for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Lagaan and Devdas.
In 2005, Desai set up ND Studios at Karjat. The studio has played host to films and shows like Jodha Akbar, Traffic Signal and Bigg Boss.
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