Saroj Khan, Bollywood’s Most Famous Choreographer, Dead at 71

Saroj Khan, an iconic Bollywood choreographer whose dance proteges include actresses Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi, died of a cardiac arrest on Friday, after  being admitted to a Mumbai hospital in June with breathing difficulties. She was 71.

Born Nirmala Nagpal, Khan debuted as an assistant choreographer in 1960 with “Kalpana,” and honed her craft on several films before making her debut as a choreographer with 1974’s “Geeta Mera Naam.” It was in the 1980s and 1990s that she became a household name across India for her collaborations with Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi.

Her memorable associations with Dixit include “Tezaab,” “Beta” and “Khalnaayak,” while with Sridevi her best work includes Shekhar Kapur’s “Mr. India,” “Nagina” and “Chandni.” One of Khan’s most famous works was “Devdas,” which premiered in Cannes, and where she worked with Dixit and Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan.

Khan has more than 300 film credits, in which she choreographed more than 2,000 songs. She won India’s National Film Award for choreography three times: for “Devdas,” “Sringaram,” and “Jab We Met.” She also won the American Choreography Award twice, for her work in “Hum Dil Che Chuke Sanam,” and the Oscar-nominated “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India.” Her last film credit was 2019’s “Kalank,” where she reunited with Dixit.

In later life, Khan was a judge on Star TV reality show “Nach Baliye,” and Sony Entertainment Television’s “Ustaadon Ka Ustad,” and “Jhalak Dikhlaa Ja.”

She is survived by her husband, the veteran choreographer B. Sohanlal, with whom she made her debut as an assistant, son Hamid and daughters Hina and Sukyna.