Lagaan art director Nitin Desai found dead at his studio, Police suspect suicide

Noted art director Nitin Desai was found dead at his studio in Maharashtra's Raigad district. He was found hanging in a case of suspected suicide at his ND Studios, official sources said. The Karjat Police rushed to his studio for investigations and the cause of the suicide was not clear.

3 things you need to know

• Police were informed about Nitin Desai's death by a worker on the set where he was found dead.
• Raigad SP said that the team is investigating the matter from all angles.
• Maharashtra MLA Mahesh Baldi claimed that Desai was under financial stress and linked it to his death.

National Award-winning Art Director dead

Nitin Desai was found dead at ND studio located in Khalapur Area in Raigad District of Maharashtra. The local police of Khalapur received a call at around 10 am on Wednesday and they immediately rushed to the spot. The body will be sent for post-mortem after which the cause of death will be ascertained.

(Art director Nitin Desai was a 4-time National Award winner | Image: Twitter)

A source in Khalapur Police Station said, "We received a call at around 10-10.15 am today. We have sent a team of senior officials. The Police will record the statement of the people present. The body will be sent for post-mortem, after which we will be able to tell the reason of the death."

"We have found the body of art director Nitin Desai hanging in his studio in Karjat. Police were informed about this by a worker on the set. When the Police team reached the studio we saw his body hanging. We are investigating the case further for ascertaining all the aspects in this case," Raigad SP Somnath Gharghe told ANI.

A look back at Nitin Desai's career

Nitin Desai's first feature film was Adhikari Brothers' Bhookamp in 1993, but it was Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942: A Love Story in 1994 that got him noticed. He was known for his work in films featuring major movie stars like Prabhas, Hrithik Roshan, Akshay Kumar and many others. He was a 4-time National Award winner. He earned the accolades for his work in Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (1998), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Lagaan (2001) and Devdas (2002).

(With inputs from Sandip Singh)