Nitin Desai Passes Away: Art Director Led Work On Lalbaugcha Raja Set For This Year Before His Death

Art director and production designer, Nitin Chandrakant Desai, known for his works in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Jodhaa Akbar, died of alleged suicide on Wednesday, August 2. Initial reports claim that Nitin Chandrakant Desai’s body was found at his art studio in Karjat. Police investigation reportedly suspect an alleged suicide but a note hasn’t been recovered from the scene yet. It is rumoured the art director was struggling with financial distress as his studio wasn’t earning well but there has been no confirmation issued so far. The authorities are yet to determine the cause of his demise.

Notably, Nitin Chandrakant Desai was one among the many who led the decoration of Lalbaugcha Raja, the most popular public pandal in Mumbai that installs a massive idol of Lord Ganesha during Ganesh Chaturthi. Early in July, the art director confirmed on Instagram that he has completed the decoration work and Mandap Pujan’s responsibilities for the event. The announcement came with a catalogue of photographs from the mandap ritual Puja alongside him discussing the layout of the pandal.

Notably, Lalbaugcha Raja resides in the pandal for 11 days and draws thousands of pilgrims and devotees for darshan. The Ganesha idol is immersed in the Arabian Sea on the day of Anant Chaturdashi. The celebration of the festival is quite grand and this year the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganapati will enter its 90th year. The art director highlighted the auspicious occasion in the caption segment of his post writing, “May the king of Lalbaugh be victorious, may the king of Lalbaugh be victorious. Shri Ganesha of Lalbaugchya Raja’s 90th year pandal worship and decoration completed today. Ganpati Bappa Morya.”

Nitin Chandrakant Desai received critical acclamation for his contribution to Bollywood and Marathi films including Devdas and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo among others. In his career span of about three decades, he collaborated with several prolific directors including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ashutosh Gowarikar, and Rajkumar Hirani. His studio has been used previously for Salman Khan’s Bigg Boss and the shooting of Major Lazer’s Lean On music video.

Such was his professional merit that he bagged four National Awards, One Maharashtra state award, and three Filmfare accolades for his work.