MUMBAI: Renowned film art director Nitin Desai was found dead on Wednesday at his studio in Maharashtra's Raigad district, a senior police official said.
Prima facie, it seems to be a case of suicide, the official said, adding Desai was found hanging at his N D Studios in Karjat area of Raigad, located about 50 km from Mumbai.
After being alerted, police rushed to the spot, the official said.
"A probe was underway into Desai's death from all angles," he said.
He was known for his artwork in films like "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", "Jodhaa Akbar", "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo" and "Bajirao Mastani", among others.
He was a four-time National Award winner for Best Art Direction. Over his two-decades-long career in Bollywood, he has worked with celebrated directors including Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Besides art direction, Nitin also turned producer in 2003 with the film "Desh Devi Maa Ashapura". He also produced the immensely popular Marathi serial Raja Shivchhatrapati. In 2005, he opened ND Studios on the outskirts of Mumbai. The 52-acre spread studio has been used for several film sets, the most notable one being Jodha Akbar.
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