Published 14:15 IST, July 3rd 2020
Saroj Khan's death: Did you know she's the only choreographer who's won 3 National Awards?
Saroj Khan's death has left a void in the dance fraternity of Bollywood. Did you know Masterji was the only choreographer to have won 3 National Awards?
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The legendary choreographer Saroj Khan passed away on July 3, 2020, at the age of 71 and has left the entire dance fraternity of Bollywood aghast. The reason for her demise has been reported to be cardiac arrest. While the veteran choreographer had tested negative of COVID-19, she had complained about breathing issues and was thus rushed to the hospital sometime around June 20. Popularly referred to as 'Masterji', Saroj Khan reportedly breathed her last at 1:52 am in Mumbai's Guru Nanak Hospital.
The ace choreographer had established a name for herself in the industry like no other left behind a remarkable legacy. Having choreographed more than 2000 songs, Khan's last project was with one of her favourite students with whom she has given several iconic songs, Madhuri Dixit in 2019's period drama Kalank. She is also the only choreographer in India who has won the National Award thrice for Best Choreography. Thus, read to find out about those three movies in detail.
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Devdas
Saroj Khan's first win came with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali's cult-classic Devdas. The iconic song Dola Re Dola featuring Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is still remembered by all the Bollywood fans for its epic choreography. Back in 2002, Khan's received her first National Award for Best Choreography in Dola Re Dola.
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Sringaram
The 2007's Tamil period drama Sringaram starred Aditi Rao Hyadri and marked her debut in Tamil cinema. The story of this Sharada Ramanathan directorial revolved around the life of a Devadasi during the era 1920s. The film mainly featured South Indian traditional dance forms with Saroj Khan leading the choreography for all the dance numbers. The film won three National Awards at the 53rd National Film Awards and one of the three awards was bagged the late choreographer for Best Choreography.
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Jab We Met
Yet another Bollywood cult-classic Jab We Met which released in 2007 marked Masteji's third National Award for Best Choreography. She choreographed Kareena Kapoor in the popular peppy dance number Ye Ishq Hai. While the song was an instant chartbuster, its choreography by the Khan stays unforgettable. Along with Best Choreography, the song also won the National Award for Best Female Playback Singer to Shreya Ghoshal.
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14:15 IST, July 3rd 2020