LOS ANGELES: Late Bollywood art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai was accorded an emotional tribute during the Oscars' 'In Memoriam' segment alongside Tina Turner, Matthew Perry and many more. The Oscars 2024 were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo Bocelli performed during the segment and sang 'Time to Say Goodbye'. Taking to Instagram, The Academy shared a video from the award ceremony and captioned it, "Andrea and Matteo Bocelli performing 'Time to Say Goodbye' 30th Anniversary Special Edition during the In Memoriam at the 2024 #Oscars."
Apart from Nitin Desai, other notable figures from the global entertainment industry remembered in the segment were directors William Friedkin and Norman Jewison, as well as actors John Bailey, Robbie Robertson, Richard Lewis, Lee Sun-Kyun, Carl Weathers, Matthew Perry, Andre Braugher, among many more. Desai was noted for his innovative studio design and collaborated with filmmakers like Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
He was famed for his work in movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000), Lagaan (2002), Devdas (2003), Jodhaa Akbar (2008) and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015). He won three Filmfare Awards for Best Art Direction and four National Film Awards for Best Art Direction. He died on August 2, 2023. His passing came as a great loss for the film industry, with a long line of industry stalwarts as well as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paying glowing tributes. Desai was found dead at his studio in Karjat, Maharashtra.