Renowned Indian art director Nitin Desai died by suicide on Wednesday morning. His body was found in his ND studio in Khalapur Raigarh near Karjat. While the police is yet to share further details about the cause of his death, initial reports suggest he died by suicide. Further details are awaited. For the unversed, Nitin has been credited with designing sets for some of biggest blockbusters including 'Devdas', 'Jodha Akbar', and 'Lagaan', among others.
He has won National Film Award for Best Art Direction four times, and Filmfare Best Art Direction Award three times. In 2005, he opened his ND Studios spread over 52 acres (21 ha) at Karjat, Navi Mumbai, near Mumbai, which has since hosted movies like Jodha Akbar, Traffic Signal as also Color's reality show Big Boss. Most of Desai's successful work as an art director has been in period films, as can be seen by the fact that all 4 of his National Film Award for Best Art Direction awards have been for period films.