Nitin Chandrakant Desai is a noted Indian

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

and

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

Indian cinema The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

turned film and television producer, most known for his work in Marathi and Hindi Films, World Cultural Festival 2016 at Delhi and films like, ''

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' () is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. It was released internationally as ''Straight From the Heart''. The film stars Aishwarya Rai, Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. Ba ...

'' (1999), ''

Lagaan ''Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India'' () is a 2001 Indian Hindi-language sports drama film written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. The film was produced by Aamir Khan, who stars alongside debutant Gracy Singh and British actors Rachel Sh ...

'' (2001), ''

Devdas ''Devdas'' ( bn, দেবদাস, transliterated as ''Debdās'') is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden ...

'' (2002), ''

Jodhaa Akbar ''Jodhaa Akbar'' is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language historical drama, epic historical romantic drama film directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. It stars Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the titular roles. Set in the 16th centu ...

'' (2008) and ''

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo ''Prem Ratan Dhan Payo'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film written and directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Produced by Rajshri Productions, it stars Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor. Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anupam Kher, Swara Bhaskar, Deepa ...

'' (2015). During his career spanning twenty years, he has worked with directors like

Ashutosh Gowarikar Ashutosh Gowariker (born 15 February 1964) is an Indian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for directing films "set on a huge canvas while boasting of an opulent treatment". His is particularl ...

Vidhu Vinod Chopra Vidhu Vinod Chopra (born 5 September 1952) is an Indian film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist and actor. His well-known films as director are ''Parinda'' (1988), '' 1942: A Love Story'' (1994). He is also known for producing ' ...

Rajkumar Hirani Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962), also called Raju Hirani, is an Indian filmmaker, director, producer and editor known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleve ...

and

Sanjay Leela Bhansali Sanjay Leela Bhansali (; born 24 February 1963) is an Indian filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and music composer who is known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards, ten Filmfar ...

. In 2002, he turned film producer with Chandrakant Productions' ''Desh Devi'', a devotional film on the Devi Mata of Kutch. He has won

National Film Award for Best Art Direction The National Film Award for Best Production Design is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several award ...

four times, and

Filmfare Best Art Direction Award The Filmfare Best Art Direction Award is given by the '' Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Although the awards started in 1954, this category was started only in 1956. Superlatives Awards See also * ...

three times. In 2005, he opened his

ND Studios ND Studios is a film and television production studio located in Karjat, Maharashtra a north suburb of Mumbai. Established in 2005, it is owned by Nitin Chandrakant Desai . Apart from films, it is also the location reality TV series, ''Bigg Bos ...

spread over at

Karjat Karjat (Pronunciation: əɾd͡zət̪ is a city administered under a Municipal Council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is served by Karjat railway station. Karjat forms a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Karja ...

Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai (), is a planned city situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent, located in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The city is ...

, near

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, which has since hosted movies like ''Jodha Akbar'', ''Traffic Signal'' as also Color's reality show '' Big Boss''.

Early life and education

Desai's attended his school at

Wamanrao Muranjan High School Wamanrao Muranjan Madhyamik Vidyalaya & Junior College is a co-educational day school in Mulund East, Mumbai, located near city boundary. It takes 20 minutes to reach the college from Mulund station. With origins from 1955, it was the one of ...

, Mulund in a Marathi Medium, He studied photography at the J.J. School of Art and L.S.Raheja school of arts, in Mumbai, before joining the films.The art and craft of Nitin Desai

Rediff.com Rediff.com (stylized as ''rediff.com'') is an Indian news, information, entertainment and shopping web portal. It was founded in 1996. It is headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and New York City. , it had more than 300 e ...

, 18 January 2003.

Career

He first went to

Film City Film City may refer to * Film City, Mumbai * Noida Film City * Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad * Prayag Film City The Prayag Film City, also known as the Midnapore Film City or Chandrakona Film City or Bengal film city is an i ...

Studios in May 1987, and immediately switched from the 2-D format of still photography to a 3-D world of art direction. He joined noted art director, Nitish Roy as a fourth assistant for the period TV serial, '' Tamas'' (1987), directed by Govind Nihalani. Thereafter he worked TV series, ''Kabir'' for five-and-a-half years, series ''Chanakya'' for the first 25 episodes, and took over independently from the 26th episode onwards. His first feature film was Adhikari Brothers's ''Bhookamp'' in 1993, but it was

's period film, '' 1942: A Love Story'' in 1994 that got him noticed. Over the years he has worked in films such as ''

Parinda ''Parinda'' () is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed, produced and distributed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film stars Jackie Shroff, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Madhuri Dixit. The story and scenario were written by Chopra, ...

'', '' Khamoshi'', ''

Maachis ''Maachis'' (transl. ''Matchsticks'') is a 1996 Indian period political thriller film directed by Gulzar and produced by R. V. Pandit. It stars Chandrachur Singh, Om Puri, Tabu, and Jimmy Sheirgill. The film portrays the circumstances surrou ...

'', ''Baadshah'', ''Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar'' and ''

Raju Chacha ''Raju Chacha'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Anil Devgan and produced by his brother Ajay Devgn, debuting as a film producer. The film stars Ajay, Kajol and Rishi Kapoor, along with Sanjay Dutt in a special ...

'', international projects like ''

Salaam Bombay! ''Salaam Bombay!'' is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language drama film, directed, co-written and co-produced by Mira Nair. The screenwriter was Nair's creative collaborator Sooni Taraporevala. This was the first feature film directed by Nair. The film ...

'', ''Amok'' (a French film directed by Joel Farges, which won Desai a Pri Genie nomination), ''

Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

'', ''Kama Sutra'', the Canadian film ''Such a Long Journey'' and ''Holy Smoke''. He also created two sets for ''

Slumdog Millionaire ''Slumdog Millionaire'' is a 2008 British drama film that is a loose adaptation of the novel '' Q & A'' (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup. It narrates the story of 18-year-old Jamal Malik from the Juhu slums of Mumbai. Starring Dev Patel ...

'' 2008 film, which include the set of ''

Kaun Banega Crorepati ''Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (also simply known as ''KBC'') is an Indian Hindi-language television game show. It is the official Hindi adaptation of the ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' franchise. It has been presented by actor Amitabh Bachchan ...

'' scene, incidentally he had also designed the set for the Star Plus TV series, and an interiors set of the Taj Mahal. NDStudios2

He turned film producer in 2003, with devotional film, ''Desh Devi Maa Ashapura''. Situated on the outskirts of Mumbai at

, the ND studios was opened in 2005 by him. Spread over , later

Reliance Entertainment Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd is an Indian media and entertainment company. It is a division of Reliance Group, handling its media and entertainment business, across content and distribution platforms. The company was founded on 15 February 20 ...

picked up 50 per cent stake in the studio for about Rs 1.50 billion. He turned to producing TV series, with Marathi serial ''

Raja Shivchhatrapati ''Raja Shivchatrapati'' is a Marathi historical TV drama based on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. The serial was re-broadcast in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Summary Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, born at ...

'', which became a big hit. In Marathi, he has produced a biopic movie ''

Balgandharva Narayan Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva, (26 June 1888 – 15 July 1967) was a famous Marathi language, Marathi singer and a stage actor. He was known for his roles in female characters in Marathi plays, since women were not ...

'' released in May 2011. He has also produced a reality TV show ''Marathi Paul Padte Pudhe'', which provides a platform for young talent. Concept is similar to ''America's Got Talent''. He was reportedly working on

Amol Gupte Amole Gupte (born c. 1962) is an Indian screenwriter, actor, and director, known for his work on the 2007 Bollywood film ''Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)'' as creative director and screenwriter. He conceived the film along with his wif ...

's ''Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte''. After producing ''

Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur ''Chittod Ki Rani Padmini Ka Johur'' (English: ''The Johur of the Queen Padmini of Chittod'') is an Indian historical drama television series that aired on Sony Entertainment Television, based on the life of Rani Padmini, the famous 14th-century ...

'' (2009) TV series, he was reportedly producing historic TV series, ''Taj Mahal'' and ''Baji Rao Mastani''.After Rani Padmini Nitin Desai to make Taj Mahal, Baji Rao Mastani
Tellychaker, RajDixit 7 August 2009. In 2011, he also debuted as a lead actor by the Marathi film ''Hello Jai Hind'' directed by Gajendra Ahire. Most of Desai's successful work as an art director has been in period films, as can be seen by the fact that all 4 of his

awards have been for period films.

Filmography

As actor

As director

As producer

As art director

As production designer

Awards and nominations

National Film Award for Best Art Direction The National Film Award for Best Production Design is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several award ...

Filmfare Best Art Direction The Filmfare Best Art Direction Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Although the awards started in 1954, this category was started only in 1956. Superlatives Awards See also * Fi ...

IFA Best Art Direction Award

;

Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...
– Best Art Direction

;

Maharashtra State Film Awards Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963. Winners 2000 This year's award ceremony took plac ...
– Best Art Direction

;

Genie Award for Best Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design The Canadian Screen Award for Best Achievement in Art Direction/Production Design is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian film art direction/production design. 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s ...

;

References

External links

Nitin Desai Studio, Official website
*
The Miracle Worker

Screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desai, Nitin Chandrakant Living people Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art alumni Indian art directors Indian production designers Film producers from Mumbai Indian television producers Filmfare Awards winners Year of birth missing (living people) Film directors from Mumbai 20th-century Indian designers 21st-century Indian designers 21st-century Indian film directors Hindi-language film directors Indian television directors Best Production Design National Film Award winners

Early life and education

Career

Filmography

As actor

As director

As producer

As art director

As production designer

Awards and nominations

National Film Award for Best Art Direction The National Film Award for Best Production Design is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several award ...

Filmfare Best Art Direction The Filmfare Best Art Direction Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Although the awards started in 1954, this category was started only in 1956. Superlatives Awards See also * Fi ...

IFA Best Art Direction Award

Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ... – Best Art Direction

References

External links

Screen Awards The Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony held in India honouring professional excellence in Bollywood. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professionals from the industry. The awards were introduced by t ...
– Best Art Direction