Guru Purnima 2020 – “Saroj Khan made everything look like poetry in motion”: Madhuri Dixit publishes an emotional tribute

New Delhi:

“I still can’t believe Master ji is not anymore. Losing a friend, a philosopher and a guide like it is devastating, “wrote Madhuri Dixit for her. Master ji, choreographer Saroj Khan, in a heartbreaking post on Instagram. On the occasion of Guru Purnima Sunday, the actress paid tribute to her “guide and friend” Saroj Khan, died of cardiac arrest on July 3 in Mumbai. She was 71 years old. In her post, Madhuri, who has worked with Saroj Khan in several films in the past such as Karma, Tezaab, Gulaab Gang and Kalank, shared his memories of the choreographer.

Madhuri Dixit began his message with these anguished words: “I still cannot believe Master ji is not anymore. Losing a friend, a philosopher and a guide like it is devastating. It was difficult for me to express my pain in words. I spoke to her daughter when she was in the hospital and she told me that Saroj ji would be fine. Two days later, she was gone. The Guru-shishya bond we shared, the assurance that she would be my mother on set, I will miss everything. Today, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I pay tribute to him. No one can make women as beautiful, desirable and sensual on screen as she does. It made everything look like poetry in motion. Struck by her, I told her, “Saroji ji, agar aap shakkar hoti na, I would add you to my cup of tea and drink it. “She laughs heartily. I’m going to miss this playful laugh.”

Madhuri also recalled his first meeting with Saroj Khan: “The first time I met her was while shooting for Maine Rab Se of Karma. Saroj ji asked me so many questions, including one: “Where did you learn to dance? Unfortunately, our sequence has been removed from the song. I will miss her many questions. Saroj Khan is a game changer in the industry. She was the rebel in the male dominated profession. There were roughness in her personality and I think it was because life was fairly uneven for her. I will miss this determined and stubborn woman. “

Saroj Khan choreographed the song Ek Do Teen, with Madhuri, for the film Tezaab and the song became so popular that Filmfare included the category of Best Choreography to honor the choreographer. “Dancing in front of the camera and dancing on stage are two different things. Saroj ji taught me how to romanticize the camera when we were working on Ek do teen. The popularity of the song was such that Filmfare had to create the category of best choreography to honor Saroj ji. I will miss her resolve to push the envelope all the time, “wrote Madhuri, adding,” Her Nazakat, the aadayein, the elegance of each movement, I was fascinated. I knew we would do a lot of songs together. So we decided not to repeat any of the movements. “

Madhuri signed her message with these words: “She agreed to create crochet steps that people will identify with each song. We created so many movements without knowing what their names are. Who knew Tamma Tamma step was dab? I will fail to invent steps with her. She was also close to my family and this loss is deeply personal. There is no one like her and there will be no other like her. Saroj ji, I’m going to miss everything from you. I will miss your “Perrrfect”! “

Read Madhuri Dixit’s post here:

I still can’t believe that master ji no longer exists. Losing a friend, a philosopher and a guide like it is devastating. It was difficult for me to express my pain in words. I spoke to her daughter when she was in the hospital and she told me that Saroj ji would be fine. Two days later, she was gone. The Guru-shishya link we shared, the assurance that she would be my mother on set, I will miss everything. Today, on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I pay tribute to her: no one can make women so beautiful, desirable and sensual on the screen like her. It made everything look like poetry in motion. Struck by her, I told her: Saroji ji, agar aap shakkar hoti na, I would add you to my cup of tea and I would drink it. “She laughed heartily. I’m going to miss this playful laugh. The time I met her was during the shooting of Maine Rab Se from Karma. Saroj ji asked me so many questions, including one: “Where did you learn to dance? Unfortunately, our streak was removed from the song. I will miss a lot of questions. Sarj Khan was a game-changer in the industry. She was the rebel in the male-dominated profession. There were rough edges to her personality and I think it’s because life has been fairly uneven for her. I will miss this determined and stubborn woman. Dancing in front of the camera and dancing on stage are two different things. Saroj ji taught me how to make love with the camera when we were working on Ek Do Teen. It was the popularity of the song that Filmfare had to create the category of best choreography to honor Saroj ji. His resolve to push the limits I will miss him all the time. His Nazakat, the aadayein, the el elegance of each movement struck me. I knew we would do a lot of songs together. So we decided not to repeat any of the movements. She agreed to create crochet steps that people will identify with each song. We have created so many movements without knowing what they are called. Who knew that Tamma Tamma was Dab? I will fail to invent steps with it. She was also close to my family and this loss is deeply personal. There is no one like her and there will be no other like her. Saroj ji, I’m going to miss everything from you. I will miss your “Perrrfect”!

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene) on Jul 5, 2020, 5:18 AM PDT

Saroj Khan was asent to Mumbai hospital on June 20 after complaining of breathing difficulties. A few hours after his death, Madhuri Dixit cried his “guru” with heartbreaking messages. She first shared a tweet that said, “I am devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. I will always be grateful for his work in helping me reach my full potential in dance. The world has lost an incredibly talented person. I will miss you. My sincere condolences to the family. #RIPSarojji “, then I posted a few photos back of herself and Saroj Khan on Instagram.

I am devastated by the loss of my friend and guru, Saroj Khan. Will always be grateful for her work in helping me reach my full potential in dance. The world has lost an incredibly talented person. I will miss you My sincere condolences to the family. #RIPSarojji

– Madhuri Dixit Nene (@MadhuriDixit) July 3, 2020

Saroj Khan gained popularity after choreographing Sridevi and later Madhuri Dixit for several iconic dance acts in films like Mr India, Nagina, Chandni, Thaanedaar, Beta, Chaalbaaz, Khalnayak and Devdas.