When we woke to the heartbreaking news of the passing of iconic choreographer Saroj Khan, we immediately started thinking of the hundreds upon hundreds of songs which she had her hand in bringing to life. The first female to break into the male-dominated industry of film choreography, Khan left an indelible print on the Indian cinematic landscape. Her career spanned 40 years, with over 2000 Bollywood songs.

Most known for her decades-long working relationship with Bollywood icon Madhuri Dixit, Khan also collaborated with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sri Devi, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The ’90s gave her legendary status by creating dance after dance, in movie after movie, catapulting each song into the stratosphere. Among the many awards she has collected in her career included three National Film Awards and was the very first recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Choreography. An award that was especially created when her “Ek Do Teen” song from Tezaab — which landed an unknown star named Madhuri Dixit on Bollywood’s radar — became a monster hit.
In honour of Saroj-ji, here are 10 (of so many!) Bollywood songs in which she single handedly brought to the screen with her iconic choreography.
“Ek Do Teen”
Film: Tezaab (1988)
“Mere Hatoon Mein”
Film: Chandni (1989)
“Dhak Dhak Karne Laga”
Film: Beta (1992)
“Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen”
Film: Baazigar (1993)
“Chole Ke Peecha Kya Hai”
Film: Khalnayak (1994)
“Nimbooda Nimbooda”
Film: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
“Dola Re Dola Re”
Film: Devdas (2002)
“Barso Re”
Film: Guru (2007)
“Yeh Ishq Hai”
Film: Jab We Met (2008)
“Tabaah Ho Gaye”
Film: Kalank (2019)
Main Image Photo Credit: www.hindustantimes.com

Hina P. Ansari
Author
Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...