Mumbai: Renowned art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai, the creator of lavish sets for films such as “Jodhaa Akbar” and “Lagaan” as well as the popular TV quiz show “Kaun Banega Crorepati”, was found hanging at his studio in Karjat near Mumbai on Wednesday.
The award winning art director and production designer, whose crafty works in numerous Bollywood films left audiences awestruck, would have turned 58 on August 9.
Desai’s company ND’s Art World Pvt Ltd had defaulted on a Rs 252-crore loan to its financial creditor, according to an insolvency petition filed in a bankruptcy court last week.
“Desai’s body was found hanging with a rope in the morning at N D Studios,” Raigad Superintendent of Police (SP) Somnath Gharge told reporters, adding it seemed to be a case of suicide and the case was being investigated from all angles.
The SP said later in the evening a post-mortem examination of Desai’s body was conducted at state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai and as per the autopsy report, the death was caused by hanging.
The post-mortem examination was conducted by a team of four doctors, he said, adding the body will be handed over to the art director’s family on Friday when his son will arrive from the US.
Mobile phones and electronic devices found in the premises were seized and they will be examined, said the SP, adding statements of his attendants and caretakers at the facility were recorded as part of investigation.
His last rites will be performed inside N D Studios itself as per the wishes of his family, he said.
An accidental death report has been registered at the Khalapur police station, said Gharge.
Police rushed to the studio in Karjat town in Raigad district, about 50 km from Mumbai, as soon as information of his death came in.
Police found some audio notes in a voice recorder and they are being examined with the help of cyber forensic experts, another official said.
Desai, who came to the studio after Tuesday midnight, had asked one of his employees to visit the facility in the morning to collect the voice recorder, he said.
The employee, a local resident, came to the studio on Wednesday morning and went to the place mentioned in the voice recorder where he found Desai hanging, he said.
The employee later handed over the voice recorder to police, said the official.
The noted art director was found hanging at the centre stage of a mega floor inside the studio, a prominent place where most of the shows were conducted, said the official.
An eyewitness told reporters at the site that at the centre stage of the mega floor, he saw bow and arrow made with the help of a rope.
Desai was found hanging with the rope on the centre stage, where the set of talent show ‘Marathi Paul Padte Pudhe’ was also created, he said.
The art director used to stay in a bungalow inside the sprawling studio, he said.
Desai’s company had borrowed Rs 185 crore through two loans from ECL Finance in 2016 and 2018, and troubles with repayments started from January 2020.
Mahesh Baldi, the Independent MLA from Uran in Raigad district, told reporters that the art director was in deep financial trouble and may have ended his life because of that.
He may have taken the extreme step around 4-4.30 am, said the MLA.
“I met him one or two months ago where he spoke about the financial problems. He said the N D Studios wasn’t functioning, shootings were not happening. He hoped that work will come after the monsoon,” Baldi said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Culture Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, NCP president Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray besides film industry personalities expressed grief over Desai’s death.
Shinde, in a tweet, said the art director’s death was shocking and unfortunate.
“For me personally and for the film industry it is a very painful day,” said the CM.
Shinde recalled Desai’s association with the Tembhi Naka Navratri Utsav in Thane city, the political turf of the CM, and said there was always an excitement for what he created every year.
Pawar said with Desai’s demise, the state has lost a great Marathi entrepreneur with a penchant for innovation and willingness to work hard.
“The passing away of Desai is sad and painful,” Pawar added.
Culture Minister Mungantiwar said the country and the state have lost a fine artist.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said in Desai’s death India has lost an artist of enormous talent.
Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, independent MLC Satyajeet Tambe said employees of the film studio have given police a voice recorder containing details of how he was financial strained.
Tambe said when a renowned artist like Desai takes extreme steps like committing suicide, then circumstances that forced him to do so must be looked into.
“There are reports his employees gave police a voice recorder which details he was facing severe financial crisis,” said the legislator.
The MLC said Desai had taken a loan running into hundreds of crore for building the studio in Karjat.
“Nitin Desai is an excellent example of what happens when a Marathi manoos takes loan, and if he falters (over repayment)…. the banks trouble him. Such first generation entrepreneurs should be protected,” Tambe said.
In a career spanning more than 30 years, Desai worked with directors like Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, and Ashutosh Gowariker, creating sprawling sets for scores of films, including “Devdas”, “Swades”, “Jodhaa Akbar”, “Prem Ratan Dhan Payo” and “Parinda”. He also worked for Marathi films and numerous TV shows.
His sudden death shocked the film industry with Hema Malini, Manoj Bajpayee, Sanjay Dutt, Resul Pookutty, Madhur Bhandarkar and Siddhartha Basu, among others, sending their condolences.
Desai’s death was a “terrible loss” to the film industry, said Hema Malini.
“Such a warm human being, associated with many of my projects and ballets… May he find peace wherever he is,” she tweeted.
Bajpayee said it would take him some time to process the death of “a great artiste and lovely friend”.
Desai was “one of the best production designers we had”, said filmmaker Rahul Dholakia.
“I met and worked with him on Hum Panchi Ek Daal ke – heartfelt condolences to his team, his family and the staff at ND studio,” said the director in a tweet.
Basu, who worked with Desai on the popular reality shows “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, which was recently rebranded as X.
Director Madhur Bhandarkar, who worked with the late designer on films such as “Traffic Signal”, “Fashion” and “Jail”, said Desai will be missed.
Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty said he was “shocked beyond belief” to learn about Desai’s death.
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