Days Before Suicide, Nitin Desai Designed Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja Pandal For Its 90th Year - See Pic

Popular art director Nitin Desai was found hanging in a case of a suspected suicide at his N.D. Studio in Karjat, early on Wednesday. The Karjat Police rushed to his studio for investigations and the cause of the suicide was not clear. The news of Desai’s death came just three days before his 58th birthday on Sunday (August 6). Police were attempting to verify if he has left behind any suicide note at the studio or any other location.

Last month, Desai took to his Instagram and shared the pandal plans for Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja's 90th year ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. He wrote, “May the king of Lalbaug be victorious. Shri Ganesha of Lalbaugcha Raja's 12th year of pandal worship and decoration was completed today.”

“The arrival of our king Lalbaug is near, with his blessings, today auspicious time and worship was done,” he wrote in another post.

Sudhir Salvi, secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal said in a statement, "It is a sad and shocking news to us. He was here on Sunday with us for almost two hours with his team monitoring the work of the Pandal. He was absolutely normal and there was no trace that something like this could happen. Desai was a Bhakt of Lalbaugcha Raja and got associated with us since 2009. Maybe a year when he was unwell he may have not designed the pandal otherwise he has been with us throughout after 2009. He always finished work on time and it was appreciated by all. It is very shocking news."

The history of the Lalbaugcha Raja has been quite famous since ancient times as it is the popular Ganesh Idol of Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, located at Putlabai Chawl, a worship place which was founded in 1934. The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganapati idol has been organised by the Kambli family for nearly nine decades.

Among the top-rung art directors of Bollywood, the Dapoli (Ratnagiri) born Desai was the art director for major films like 'Devdas', 'Lagaan', 'Jodhaa Akbar', 'Harishchandrachi Factory', and 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' to name a few.