And we lost another precious gem of the industry but will see it shining in the sky with the others! After Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Wajid Khan, Basu Chatterjee, Nimmi and Sushant Singh Rajput, the ace choreographer, Saroj Khan left for the heavenly abode in 2020. On July 3, 2020, the world woke up to the news of Saroj ji's demise after suffering a cardiac arrest at 2:30 AM in Mumbai. Since then, social media is flooded with eulogies from her students from the industry, mourning the loss and recalling the lessons their master ji had taught them. (Also Read: Famous Bollywood Choreographers And Their Interesting Love Life)
Kareena Kapoor Khan too, penned an emotional note, remembering the important life lesson her master ji, Saroj Khan had taught her that has stayed with her as an actress. In her eulogy for Saroj ji, Kareena posted stills from her film, Jab We Met and wrote, "Master ji always told me... perrr nahin chala saktiii toh kam se kam face toh chalaaaaa. That’s what she taught me... to enjoy dancing, smile and smile through the eyes. There can never be another... Dance and expression can never be the same for us actors and for everyone who loved her... Love you master ji. Till we dance again... RIP #SarojKhan."
After rejecting a plethora of offers, Kareena Kapoor Khan had made her TV debut as a judge for the reality show, Dance India Dance 7. When Saroj Khan had made an appearance on the show as a guest, Kareena had recalled how her master ji had scolded her once at 1 am. Enacting Saroj ji, Bebo had said, “Ae Ladki, kamar hila... Raat ke ek baj rahe hain, kya kar rahi hai?” Here's a clip of the same:
Kareena Kapoor Khan had further revealed that it is difficult to impress Saroj Khan as during the shoot of her debut film, Refugee. Bebo had said, “It is very difficult to impress her! During the shoot of ‘Refugee’, Master ji told me ‘you don’t know how to move your hands and legs, how did you choose to become an actress? You are Karisma’s sister.’ I told her ‘but I don’t know how to dance, Masterji.’” (Also Read: Life Of Saroj Khan: Married Her 41-Year-Old Guru-Dance Director B. Sohanlal When She Was 13-Year-Old)
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Crediting Saroj Khan for being the reason behind every heroine becoming a 'heroine', and had remarked, “She then told me ‘if you can’t move your hands and legs you need to dance with your face’. She used to ask me to observe her closely and watch her face when she used to perform an entire song with her expressions. This is the reason why every heroine has become a heroine today only because of Master Ji. That’s all!”
Revealing how she used to lock herself up in the bathroom to rehearse the expressions master ji had taught her, Kareena Kapoor Khan had recalled, “I used to lock myself in the bathroom and practice all of Master Ji's expressions because my mother always told me, ‘if I want to be an actress, I must only watch Master Ji's songs and see the close-ups of all the heroines’. I used to really practice them and I think that’s the reason why we have all become heroines today. It was only because Masterji used to show us every expression before the shot.”
Saroj Khan was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital, Mumbai in June 2020 when she had complained of severe breathing difficulty. Her nephew, Manish Jagwani confirmed the news of her passing away to PTI and had said, “She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2:30 am at the hospital.” Saroj ji's last rites had taken place in Malad, Mumbai on Friday morning. (Also Read: Saroj Khan's daughter Breaks Down Into Tears Outside Malad Cemetery After Mother's Death [Video])
Saroj Khan will be cherished forever with the beautiful work she had left behind and it will be an inspiration to every aspiring dancer!
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