Madhuri Dixit gets teary-eyed as she remembers Saroj Khan: ‘She gave me strength on movie set’

Madhuri Dixit and late Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan made for a perfect ‘guru-shishya’ duo. Together, they gave Hindi cinema some of its most iconic dance numbers including “Dhak Dhak”, “Chane Ke Khet Mein”, “Ek Do Teen”, “Tamma Tamma”, “Dola Re Dola” and more. Recently, the Bollywood diva remembered how Khan was her pillar of strength on the movie sets.

In the upcoming episode of the dance reality show, Dance Deewane 3, Madhuri would be sharing how she learnt a lot from Saroj during her early days in the film industry. From learning expressions, movements, grace, finesse to how to look presentable in front of the camera, the actor said she acquired everything from her ‘guru’. The Dil Toh Pagal Hai actor got teary-eyed as two contestants dedicated a performance to her and Khan on the song “Tabah ho Gaye”. It was the last song which was choreographed by Saroj on her favourite student, Madhuri.

On being asked by the host Bharti Singh if Madhuri got scolded by Khan ever, she said, “Yes, I’ve been scolded by her. Once she scolded me for crying after my director had scolded me. She said, ‘Why are you crying? Don’t ever cry in life.’ I miss her a lot.” She added that the choreographer used to give her a lot of strength on the movie sets.

Madhuri shared that Saroj Khan was a model of women empowerment for her as when she started out in the industry, it was male-dominated. “At a time when there were only male choreographers, she (Saroj Khan) made the place of a ‘masterji’ for herself,” said the actor. She also recalled how during the shoot of the Kalank song “Tabah Ho Gaye” Khan couldn’t show a step herself but Madhuri could understand what she wants through her verbal instructions. After the shot, Saroj Khan would walk up to Madhuri and say, “Perrfect” and that’s when the actor knew she has given a good shot.

After Saroj Khan’s demise last year due to cardiac arrest, Madhuri had paid her condolences and had said that the choreographer not only helped her realise her full potential in dance but also taught her a lot in life.

In a career spanning four decades, Khan choreographed nearly 2000 songs. The legendary artiste was a recipient of three National Awards for films Devdas, Jab We Met and Sringaram (Tamil). She won Filmfare Awards for movies like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Guru, Khalnayak and Chaalbaaz.