Nitin Desai is a one-man army, currently working on an average of ten projects a year with 48 assistants and 2,000 workers working on his creations (set designs) day and night.

Mission Kashmir is his latest masterpiece.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdaas is another.

Nidhi Taparia meets the National Award-winner for best art direction (or production designer) for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Excerpts:

I share a very special relationship with Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

Known to be a very focused and dedicated director, Vidhu has always been a stickler for authenticity.

We began together in Parinda. I remember we couldn't find a boat to our liking for the lovemaking scene with Madhuri and Anil. So I decided to recreate it. As I worked with the dock men and construction workers to recreate the effect, albeit cheaply, Vidhu would come to the factory, sit around and take notes.

Initially, I wondered why. Later, he told me that he had his doubts whether I would be able to deliver the goods with the authenticity he wanted.

But things have changed since. Whether it has been 1942, A Love Story -- when everybody warned him against using those expensive sets -- or Mission Kashmir, he has stood by me.

Mission Kashmir has been an extravagant experience.

Not in terms of budget because Vidhu always demands a lot. But because of the challenge.

We recreated all of Kashmir in Bombay's Film City. From Dal Lake to the little devastated temples where terrorists seek refuge, every part of it has been done at Film City.

The climax, in fact, has a very interesting tale to tell. The cinematographer, Binod Pradhan, was unhappy with the way the sets glinted in the light. I wanted to lend a misty look and shoot it in a wider frame. But the red Maharashtrian earth prohibited it.

But then, Vidhu came up to me and said, "I will give you two hours to recreate it. Otherwise, we will announce pack-up!"

I told him, "Give me just an hour."

So along with my assistants, we covered every piece of visible red earth with grass, burnt it to give the required misty, smoky effect. We also shot it in a wide frame.

"If you watch the film, you'll never believe that it has been shot at Film City, Bombay.

What is fulfilling for me is that I could let the story of a film lead me on to make it come alive. To be able to convert a director's dreams and aspirations exactly the way he wants it.

Actually, it was by chance that I got into art direction. I came on the sets as a photographer. Being a JJ School of Art student with my elective being photography, I was intrigued about creating 3D sets instead of just framing a 2D image.

I began with the Discovery Of India show as an assistant for Nishit Roy. That was an experience which I will cherish. Because we recreated an authentic look from the Aryan period to the Indian Independence -- a mammoth task. After that came the teleserial Chanakya, which got me a lot of recognition because of its vivid portrayal of the Maurya Period.

Bring a photographer helped. Not only did I attempted to recreate a period, I also reinvented it with authenticity to suit the script.

I know that I am not creating the sets for myself, but to tell the story further. To suit the character. Whether it is the spiritedness of Nandini (Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) or the coolness of Chandramukhi (Madhuri in Devdaas), I want to essay the character right.

I believe 1942, A Love Story was definitely a highlight in my career. Because it was the first time that such opulent and costly sets were created. The entire town square and the authentic look and feel managed to weave in patriotism into the story.

There comes a point where a set ceases to be a world I have designed and begins to become the world that the actors live in. That is what I enjoy doing.

Like when Aishwarya came up to me on the last day that the sets of the haveli of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam were being dismantled. She started crying because she had become attached to her room!

She hugged me and said, "Nitin, you have created a wonderful world for me. A room that I have fallen in love with and a haveli so beautiful that it makes emoting on sets such a pleasure."

Likewise, Kaun Banega Crorepati has been an enjoyable experience. I enjoyed analysing and visualising the creation of a night-time game show. Especially because, unlike the sets in other countries where 17 minutes are wasted every time a new contestant comes in, we used the existing technology and workmanship in India to operate a part of the set with the use of hydraulics.

My biggest compliment came from Amitji who not only loved the drama and the suspense that the sets and the lights have created but also his Austrian Chalet, which serves as his make-up room!

In fact, his staff told me how much he enjoys being in the make-up room. He has added his own knick-knacks and photographs to make it look lived in and his own personal space.

Actually, my directors have implicit faith in me. They have helped me produce such good work. Much before they finalise the cast or anything else, I am the first person they call.

When Sanjay Leela Bhansali decided on the concept of Devdaas and narrated the concept to me, I was flabbergasted.

I told him, "Sanjay, you made Khamoshi, which the BO did not accept because of its morbidity. And now you want to make Devdaas!"

Then he took me to Pune. We saw the original Devdaas. He narrated the story to me. That is the kind of emotional, creative relationship that I share with my directors.

In fact, that narration had me charged. I called Sanjay to show him my designs. We sat on a table, pored over a few hundred books, and then I showed him the design, the sketches. Then, after we probed, discussed and debated over every tiny point, I showed him my models.

When he saw the kothis of Chandramukhi at Film City, he said to me, "I am so scared. You have created sets that will be the talk of the town. I hope I can do justice to the grandeur and the mood you have set."

These are definitely the grandest, most opulent sets I have created on such a wide canvas.