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Desai, 57, was found dead at his studio, , which stands on 42 acres of land at Chowk village in Karjat (Pic/Ashish Raje)
Locals remember him as someone who bonded easily with them. "He gave jobs to youths from Chowk, Hatnoli, Wavarle and Bhilavale villages when the studio came up. We called him 'Dada' (elder brother)," said Sachin Mate, an activist
The famous art director who worked for Bollywood hits such as "Jodhaa Akbar" and "Lagaan" would regularly interact with locals as he roamed around the area, Mate said
A contractor who used to work at Desai's studio said, "He was a very good human being. He supported me financially for my sister's marriage in 2013"
For the last few months the studio was facing financial problems as film shoots had almost stopped
Desai was frustrated as some vested interests in Bollywood were reportedly discouraging producers from hiring his studio, claimed Jitendra Patil, a local leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena while speaking to the media
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