Nitin Desai: The man behind opulent designs in Bollywood films

The film industry is not known to make stars out of those working off-camera, but that Desai was a force to reckon with and acknowledged by filmmakers. He was ambitious, curious about the industry and often spoke about his plans to direct one day

MUMBAI: There was a time when Nitin Desai was nominated for awards, instituted by a popular film magazine, every year. When inviting him for the function, a polite request was made that he turn up early. This upset the ace art director, but he half-jested how the industry always gave technicians a short shrift. They would keep the best for the last – awards for ‘best actor’, ‘best actress’ etc would be announced at the end, while those for people working behind the scenes were announced early, when most A-list stars would not have arrived.

Nitin Desai, well known Production Designer of hindi film industry (aka Bollywood), photographed at his N.D. Studios, in Karjat, outskirts of Mumbai, on April 19, 2008. Photograph: ABHIJIT BHATLEKAR/MINTShukla's Story) (Hindustan Times Media)

The distress was legitimate, as he was the brain behind the aesthetics of films made by top filmmakers such as Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Raju Hirani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ashutosh Gowariker and Milan Luthria. All their films made it to the awards category for art direction, and Desai picked up many trophies.

After graduating from Sir JJ School of Art, Desai’s first film as art director was Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ‘Parinda’ (1989) followed by ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1993). He worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali on ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’ (1995), Ajay Devgn in ‘Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha’ (1998) and later with Bhansali again in ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999). His most recent work was ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015).

The film industry is not known to make stars out of those working off-camera, but that Desai was a force to reckon with and acknowledged by filmmakers. He was ambitious, curious about the industry and often spoke about his plans to direct one day. Alongside, he also wished to expand his studio – ND Studio -- which he set up in 2005. He had incurred a massive loan for it, which weighed him down eventually.

In June this year, Aamir Khan’s film company – Aamir Khan Productions Private Limited – put out the 22 years of ‘Lagaan’ anniversary post, showing a triumphant and smiling Desai standing alongside the team of other technicians and actors. It is Desai’s beaming face that filmmaker Milan Luthria (‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’) encountered when he caught up with him a few months ago at his studio.

“He seemed on top of the world. He was accompanied by his cameraman. He showed me his expansion plans and even spoke about putting up a post-production set at the studio, to make ND a complete film-production unit,” said Luthria, who was taken aback by his changed appearance. The art director who used to be sharply turned out earlier, now sported a salt-and-pepper beard and wore his hair down. His foam white attire gave him had altered his appearance, felt Luthria. “But for that, he seemed fine to me – his death has come as a rude blow.”

Desai was known to enthusiastically discuss his maiden directorial, shooting for which is underway, with his friends. It is an unnamed historical for an OTT platform. Desai wanted to pick up ways in which to control budgets, which Luthria has mastered over time.

Actor-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan who shot the climax of ‘Krrish3’ at ND Studio said, “We would often talk about how to manage budgets on sets. We have spent many productive hours discussing filmmaking. He was such a fabulous technician. Many of us had fruitful conversations with him and always learnt something new.’’

Luthria added how Desai was the perfect producer’s person. “He would make sets according to your budget. As a self-taught artiste, he had come a long way,” he said, adding how he had shot at “every nook and cranny of ND Studios for ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbai’”.

Another industry source said, “Nitin made ND a haven for Mumbai producers. This is where they came when it became impossible to manage crowds on live locations with big stars. The National Award winner would match the location at his studio in Karjat where all logistics were taken care.” Actors like Ajay Devgn and Salman Khan often spent long hours here, as both have farm houses a stone’s throw away from the studio. Khan in fact shot his reality show here.

Sonu Sood, who starred in ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ remembered Desai as a man “always on the move”. “When I bumped into him a year ago he excitedly showed me the design of Film City, in Goregaon. He said the Government of Maharashtra had reached out to him to remodel the studio. He was enthusiastic about the work that lay ahead,” said Sood. “It is hard to fathom why someone who was so full of plans would suddenly take his life.”

In 2011, a book titled ‘Adhunik Yugacha Vishwakarma’ written by Mandar Joshi, a film journalist, encapsulated Desai’s 25 years in the industry. At the launch function, he had said, “This is only the interval.”

The show will go on, but without the showman who created beauty in front of the camera, while remaining off it.