Akshay postpones ‘OMG 2’ trailer release in wake of Nitin Desai's demise

The sudden demise of renowned art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai has shocked the entire Bollywood

As a mark of respect to Desai, actor Akshay Kumar has decided to postpone the trailer release of his forthcoming film OMG 2. The trailer was earlier supposed to release on Wednesday. It will now release on Thursday.

Akshay shared the update via a social media post.

"Unbelievably sad to know about the demise of Nitin Desai. He was a stalwart in production design and such a big part of our cinema fraternity. He worked on so many of my films… this is a huge loss. Out of respect, we are not releasing the OMG 2 trailer today. Will launch it tomorrow at 11 am. Om Shanti," he tweeted.

Desai, 57, was found dead at his studio in Karjat, Maharashtra, police said on Wednesday.

"When a police team reached the studio, we found him hanging in the studio. An investigation is underway to ascertain all facts and aspects of the case," Raigad Superintendent of Police (SP) Somnath Gharge said.

Maharashtra MLA Mahesh Baldi said the celebrated art director behind Lagaan was under financial strain.

"He was under financial stress, which may have driven him to end his life," Baldi said.

After learning about the demise of Desai, several members of the film industry paid their heartfelt condolences.

Actor Sanjay Dutt wrote, “Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Nitin Desai. A brilliant art director and a good friend, his contribution to Indian cinema has been monumental. My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Nitin Desai worked on a number of Hindi and Marathi films. He shared a great relationship with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He created magnificent sets for many of his films including Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Bajirao Mastani.