Masterji, as she was fondly known, Saroj Khan was responsible for creating the dancing sensation personas of Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit. In fact Madhuri is known as the 'Dhak Dhak' girl, till today, thanks to the super sensuous moves in the movie Beta.
She brought a certain adaa- elegance, to dance in Hindi cinema. With over 2000 dance numbers to her credit, there is hardly any actor who has not danced to her tunes.
These are my five favourite dance numbers choreographed by Masterji.
Gaate The Pehle Akele, Khamoshi The Musical
It is song with a twang of sadness, but the words are filled with optimism. And Saroj Khan makes this song a celebration. It is such a treat to see veteran Helen's free-spirited dance. The song probably sums up what Saroj Khan was all about!
Music: Jatin-Lalit
Singers: Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shradha, Khusnum
Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Dil Mera Muft Ka, Agent Vinod
Saroj ji brought so much grace in this mujra number, a genre that was lost in Hindi cinema for so long. Kareena Kapoor's expressions and the classical touch to the choreography, makes this one of the top mujra dances in Bollywood.
Music: Pritam
Singers: Nandini Srikar, Muazzam, Rizwan, Shadab Faridi, Altamash Faridi, Shabab Sabri
Lyrics: Neelesh Misra
Radha Kaise Na Jale, Lagaan
The beauty of this choreography is its simplicity. It is innocent, beautiful and absolutely graceful. There are so many nuances of Kathak, but at the same time it has the right amount of Bollywood, for lack of a better word!
Music: AR Rahman
Singers: Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Hawa Hawai, Mr. India
Who knew comedy could be so graceful! Sridevi brought this song to life, but full credit to Saroj Khan for imagining this song the way she did. The quirky steps, the funny facial expressions, everything makes this a memorable dance number.
Music: Laxmikant-Pyarelal
Singer: Kavita Krishnamurthy
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Dola Re Dola, Devdas
The grandeur of this song is not the larger than life sets or the beautiful costumes of Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai. It is the grace and elegance of Saroj Khan's choreography that makes this song memorable.
Music: Ismail Darbar
Singers: Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shreya Ghoshal, KK,
Lyrics: Nusrat Badr