Saroj Khan, Forever Our Dhak Dhak Girl, Hangs Up Her Ghungroo

Veteran Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan, who was fondly called “Masterji” by peers and fans, died in a Mumbai hospital on Friday. She was 71.

The choreographer was admitted to the hospital on June 20, after complaining of breathlessness. She died of a cardiac arrest at 2.30 am last night, her family said. A mandatory Covid-19 test that the hospital carried out returned negative.

Following the announcement, tributes poured in from peers and fans for the vetaran choreographer, who is known for directing some of Bollywood’s most iconic routines.

Actor Akshay Kumar said she made dance look easy, in his heartfelt post

Woke up to the sad news that legendary choreographer #SarojKhan ji is no more. She made dance look easy almost like anybody can dance, a huge loss for the industry. May her soul rest in peace 🙏🏻

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 3, 2020

Amitabh Bachchan also took to Twitter to offer his prayers.

T 3582 – Prayers .. 🙏 ..
हाथ जुड़े हैं , मन अशांत

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 3, 2020

In her post, actor Nimrat Kaur called Saroj Khan a genius who immortalised stars and music that defined an era with her iconic work.

Saroj ji’s name introduced the word ‘choreographer’ to my life. A genius who immortalised stars and the music that defined an era with her iconic work. May her loved ones find strength and courage at this terrible hour. There’ll never be another…#RIPSarojKhan #Legend #Masterji pic.twitter.com/EffYUvX7Ca

— Nimrat Kaur (@NimratOfficial) July 3, 2020

Cartoonist Satish Acharya paid his tributes to the choreographer in his trademark style.

Choreographer Saroj Khan dies at 71! #SarojKhan pic.twitter.com/JXiJtyXFS4

— Satish Acharya (@satishacharya) July 3, 2020

Actor Riteish Deshmukh, who had a chance to work with the choreographer for the film Aladin, said the loss was immeasurable for the industry and film lovers.

Rest in Peace Saroj Khan ji. This loss is immeasurable for the industry & film lovers.Having choreographed more than 2000 songs she single handedly changed the landscape of how songs were shot. I had the pleasure of being Choerographed by her in Aladin. One tick off my bucketlist

— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) July 3, 2020

In her career, spanning four decades, Saroj Khan has won three National Awards for Best Choreography for her work in Devdas, Jab We Met, and the 2007 Tamil film Shringaram.

She has also been credited with choreographing more than 2,000 songs, including the iconic Madhuri Dixit song and video “Ek, Do, Teen”. The actor on Friday said she was devastated by the loss of her friend and guru.

I’m 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 amazingly talented person. I will miss you💔 My sincere condolences to the family. #RIPSarojji

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

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh also noted her numerous achievements in his social media tribute.

Saddened to hear of ace choreographer & three times national awardee Saroj Khan’s demise at 72. Many of the 2000+ iconic songs she choreographed have a permanent place in audiences’ hearts. Deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues & fans! #RIPSarojKhan

— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) July 3, 2020

Choreographer Remo D’souza shared a picture of him hugging Saroj Khan, and called her sudden death a big loss to the dance fraternity.

#RIP SAROJI YOU WILL BE MISSED …. big loss to dance fraternity ….. pic.twitter.com/1Kv5B6CpKv

— Remo D’souza (@remodsouza) July 3, 2020

The last rites of the veteran choreographer will be held in Malad. Friday will be remembered as another sad day for Bollywood, which recently lost irreplaceable talents in actors Sushant Singh , Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan. 2020, it seems, cannot get much worse.