Nitin Chandrakant Desai, an art director for the Bollywood industry, was discovered hanged on Wednesday (August 2) at his ND studio in Karjat, close to Mumbai. He was 57. Primarily, according to police, it appears to be a suicide case, and an investigation is presently ongoing.
Four-time National Award winner Nitin Desai is best recognised for his work in films like Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Lagaan, Devdas, and Jodha Akbar, among others.
Mahesh Baldi, a Bharat Janata Party MLA from Maharashtra, informed a news outlet earlier today that Nitin Desai’s suicide was caused by financial stress.
According to reports, Nitin Desai was accused of cheating in May 2018 by an advertising agency for allegedly failing to pay over Rs 51.7 lakh in fees for three months of labour.
Rakesh Shinde, the owner of Vihang Digital World, filed a complaint against Nitin Desai at the Vartak Nagar police station.
Media reports claim that a local MLA introduced Rakesh Shinde and Nitin Desai in 2017. To create advertisements for Thane’s Bollywood Garden and theme park, Nitin Desai recruited Shinde’s firm.
Rakesh Shinde further claimed in his complaint that he received checks from closed bank accounts and private bank checks that bounced. Nitin Desai, however, disputed Shinde’s claims at the time and asserted that the complaint had made ‘false allegations’ earlier too.
Another advertising business owner, Dev Kate, claimed that Nitin Desai owes him Rs 1 crore for services rendered.
