Saroj khan

Saroj Khan was one of the poignant faces of dance choreography in the Hindi film industry. Hailed as Masterji by everyone, Saroj Khan was born as Nirmala Nagpal and began her career as a child artist at the age of 3 and later as a background dancer in the late 1950s. With a career span of over four decades, Saroj hadmade many B-town artists dance to her steps. Calling a spade, a spade, Saroj Khan was famous for not bearing any star tantrums on the sets. Be it her strict dance routines or her confidence in her art, Saroj Khan was never biased towards any artist. A lot of actresses have credited masterji for their superstardom. Be it Madhuri Dixit’s Ek Do Teen or Sridevi’s Hawa Hawai, it was Saroj’s dance moves, which gave soul to these songs. Saroj Khan’s fallout with Salman Khan Many times, Saroj Khan hit the headlines for her ugly spat with stars. And one such episode happened when she choreographed Salman Khan in the popular song, Yeh Raat Aur Yeh Doorie, in the cult classic, Andaz Apna Apna in 1994. The song was a huge hit, however, apparently, Salman was not quite pleased with his steps and blamed the choreographer for giving Aamir better steps. A viral clip of Saroj Khan is doing rounds on social media, in which the choreographer spoke about her fallout with Salman Khan. Talking to Zoom, Saroj revealed how Salman was hurt because 'as per him' Aamir got star moves. She also stated how Salman vouched that he would never work with her once he becamea star. In his words: ...

In the surfeit of obituaries eulogising Saroj Khan’s contribution to Bollywood, many have forgotten her dalliance with classical dance. “In Bollywood, she was working with human anatomy, here she worked with the aesthetics of a dance tradition,” says film director Sharada Ramanathan, who got her to choreograph her debut film Sringaram (2007). The film not only fetched Saroj Khan her second National Award but also helped her breach the barrier between the classical and the popular. “Sarojji was my plan A and plan B for Sringaram . The film was about a sadir dancer, the dance of devadasis from which Bharatanatyam, which is much more structured, evolved. I wanted somebody who could capture its aesthetics on camera and take it to the present generation. And I could not think of anybody but Saroj Khan.” Sharada was cautioned with tales of the sought-after choreographer’s temperament and eccentricity, but she had decided to take a chance and didn’t actually encounter anything of the sort. “For Sarojji, Sringaram was like a homecoming, where she connected with her early days spent with Sohanlalji, who taught her the basics of different dance forms, including Bharatanatyam. She worked with four generations of actors, starting with Vyjyantimala and Padmini. She would say that with Sringaram , life had come full circle. I had seen her crying, it was cathartic for her. But she never made a show of it. I experienced it because I was there.” Steeped in tradition Coming from the sets of...

Saroj Khan got her first break as an independent choreographer with Geeta Mera Naam in 1974. On Friday morning, Saroj breathed her last, at the age of 71. “She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2.30 am at the hospital,” her nephew Manish Jagwani told PTI. “When we met, Salman asked me what I was doing nowadays. So I told him honestly that I don’t have any work [film offers], and that I am teaching Indian classical dance to young actresses. Upon hearing that, he said, ‘Now, you will work with me’. I know he is a man of his word, so he will keep his promise,” she had said. Also read: Saroj Khan, Bollywood’s ‘masterji’, dies of cardiac arrest at 72 In an Saroj had also said that while no leading lady openly indicated their reluctance to work with her, the drying up offers seemed to confirm it. “I feel actresses now don’t like to work with me; they have never said it. I started getting less work,” she had said. The last song choreographed by Saroj was Tabaah Ho Gaye from last year’s Kalank, picturised on Madhuri Dixit. The two of them collaborated for a number of iconic songs in the past, including Ek Do Teen from Tezaab (1988), Dhak Dhak Karne Laga from Beta (1992), Chane Ke Khet Mein from Anjaam (1994) and Dola Re Dola from Devdas (2002). Follow

Saroj Khan, a top Bollywood choreographer, died of cardiac arrest in a Mumbai hospital early Friday, her family said. She was 71. The three-time National Award winner was hospitalized last Saturday after she complained of breathlessness. She tested negative for COVID-19, the Press Trust of India news agency said. Khan choreographed more than 2,000 songs in her career spanning more than 40 years. Leading actresses including Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi danced to some of the most popular songs Khan had produced. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar said she made dance look easy, almost like anybody can do it. “A huge loss for the industry,” Kumar tweeted. Khan started her acting career at the age of 3 in a Bollywood film. She later shifted to choreography and got her break in 1974. She never looked back and created some of Bollywood’s most popular film songs. She won acclaim for songs in movies Mr. India, Chandni, Beta, Tezaab and Gulab Gang. Khan was buried in a Mumbai cemetery on Friday, her nephew Manish Jagwani told reporters. She is survived by her husband and three children.

Khan choreographed more than 2,000 songs in her career spanning more than 40 years. Leading actresses including Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi danced to some of the most popular songs Khan produced. Bollywood paid tribute to an icon of its industry. Actor Akshay Kumar said Khan made dance look easy, almost like anybody can do it. “A huge loss for the industry,” Kumar tweeted. Rest in Peace Saroj Khan ji. This loss is immeasurable for the industry & film lovers.Having choreographed more than 2000 songs she single handedly changed the landscape of how songs were shot. I had the pleasure of being Choerographed by her in Aladin. One tick off my bucketlist— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) Khan started her acting career at the age of three in a Bollywood film. In the 1950s, she became a back-up dancer, appearing in films like Bimal Roy’s Madhumati, where she was choreographed by dance director B Sohanlal, whom she later married. She later shifted to choreography and got her break in 1974 in the film Geeta Mera Naam. She never looked back and created some of Bollywood’s most popular film songs. She won acclaim for songs in movies like Mr India – where she choreographed Bollywood star Sridevi in the iconic song Hawa Hawai – as well as Chandni, Beta, Tezaab, and Gulab Gang. In her later years, known popularly as Masterji, she appeared as a judge on reality television dancing shows and helped popularise Bollywood-style dance outside India. Khan was buried in a Mumbai cemetery on Friday, her...

The iconic choreographer, rd July due to sudden cardiac arrest and left thousands of his loved ones in teary eyes. At the age of 71, masterji breathed her last at 1:52 AM in a Mumbai hospital where she was hospitalised since 17 June for breathing complications. The demise has created shockwaves in the industry as celebrities continue to mourn the loss of the legend. The dance icon in several decades of her career has worked in several films for over 2000 dance numbers training popular artists like, Madhuri Dixit, late actor Sridevi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shilpa Shetty Kundra and among several other stars. Apart from her professional front, originally born as Nirmala Nagpal Saroj Khan hails from a rich Pakistani family who later migrated to India during Partition. She was a mother to three children, Hina Khan, Hamid Khan and Sukanya Khan. She was married to dance choreographer, B. Sohanlal at the age of 13 without knowing Sohanlal was already 41 with a wife and4 other children. She conceived her first child, Hamid Khan with her husband, B. Sohanlal after the first year of her marriage. However, their marriage couldn’t survive long and the duo separated their ways within 4 years of their weddings. Although, Saroj continued to work under her husband as an assistant. Later, the couple tried fixing things up once again when Sohanlal had a cardiac arrest and was blessed with their second child, Hina Khan. Although, the happiness lived only for a short peri...