With a career spread across 40 years in Bollywood, beloved ‘Masterji’ of Indian Films Choreography, Ms. Saroj Khan breathed her last this morning in Mumbai. She died of cardiac arrest. She was 71.
Saroj Khan complained of breathing issues and she was admitted to hospital on June 21st. A mandatory COVID test was done which came negative.
In a career spanning two generations encapsulating over four decades, Khan was credited with choreographing more than 2,000 songs. The three-time National Award winner had choreographed for some of the most memorable tracks, including ‘Dola Re Dol’ from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Devdas’, ‘Ek Do Teen’ from Madhuri Dixit-starrer ‘Tezaab’ and ‘Kate Nahin Kat Te’ & ‘Hawa Hawai’ from Sri Devi starrer ‘Mr. India’, ‘Nimooda’ from Aishwarya Rai- Salman Khan starrer super hit film ‘ Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam’.
Tributes from the Bollywood industry started pouring in Twitter since the news surfaced this morning. Amongst the first ones to react is Madhuri Dixit who has worked with Saroj Khan in most of the iconic songs in her carrier. In the last IIFA Awards, Madhuri Dixit paid a tribute to the legend. “I’m devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan,” tweeted Madhuri Dixit. She last choreographed for ‘Tabaah Hogaye’, featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johar’s production ‘Kalank’ in 2019.
Actor Akshay Kumar was one of the first ones to condole Saroj Khan’s death on Twitter. He wrote, “Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made the dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace.”
Home Minister of Maharashtra, Mr. Anil Deshmukh was also among the first politicians to pay condolences to the renowned choreographer. “My heartfelt tribute to Saroj Khan, the renowned choreographer who part of 2,000+ evergreen songs. I share the grief of his family, colleagues in the film world, and all the fans,” he tweeted. Saroj Khan is survived by three children namely – Hamid Khan, Hina Khan, and Sukanya Khan.
