Saroj Khan, a famous Indian choreographer behind some of Bollywood’s biggest productions, died at 71, her doctor told CNN.
Khan choreographed hundreds of musical numbers during a career spanning four decades, with some of India’s biggest stars dancing in his direction.
She died of cardiac arrest at Guru Nanak Hospital in Mumbai on Friday, Narendra Sharma, one of her doctors, told CNN. Khan had been suffering from diabetes and was on dialysis, Sharma said. He said he was fighting an infection, which eventually led to cardiac arrest.
Khan had been tested twice for Covid-19, but both tests were negative, Sharma added.
The hit songs like “Dola Re Dola” from the movie “Devdas” and “Yeh Ishq Haye” from the 2007 comedy “Jab We Met (When We Met)” were created under Khan’s choreography.
She also became known as a mentor to some of Bollywood’s most famous faces. Khan worked alongside the late artist Sridevi on various titles, including “Mr. India”, “Chandni” and “Lamhe”, and choreographed Bollywood veteran Madhuri Dixit on dozens more.
Dixit was among the stars to pay tribute to Khan on Friday, writing: “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. “
“I woke up to the sad news that the legendary choreographer #SarojKhan no longer exists,” added actor Akshay Kumar, who worked alongside her on various productions. “She made dancing seem easy almost as anyone can dance, a great loss to the industry. May her soul rest in peace.”
“Every time I knew you would be choreographing the song, I went up one additional level,” said singer Shreya Ghoshal. “You brought nuances, expressions, grace on the screen with your heroines. The end of an era.”
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