Legendary dance choreographer Saroj Khan passed away during the wee hours of July 3. The news has taken the entire Indian film fraternity by shock and it is indeed a huge loss for Indian cinema. According to reports, Saroj Khan died due to a cardiac arrest at Guru Nanak Hospital where she was admitted a few days back after she complained of breathing problems. She was 71 years old. Saroj Khan is survived by her three children - Hamid Khan, Hina Khan and Sukanya Khan. She was tested negative for Covid-19 Coronavirus.

Saroj Khan's nephew told PTI, "She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2.30 am at the hospital". In a career spanning over 40 years, Saroj Khan has choreographed for more than 2000 songs in the Indian film industry. She was even regarded as 'The Mother of Dance Choreography in India'. She is also considered as a trendsetter who revolutionised the Indian film dance data-style in the 1980s and 1990s. Her most successful and famous collaborations were with Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Saroj Khan is a 3-time National Award winner who was honoured for her choreography in films like Devdas (2003), Sringaram (Tamil film) (2006) and Jab We Met (2008). She had last worked in the 2019 period drama, Kalank that starred Madhuri Dixit, Sanjay Dutt, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead roles. Leading Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh have shared their condolence messages on social media. Akshay Kumar tweeted, "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 🙏🏻".

Saroj's notable works in Hindi cinema include Mr India, Chandni, Darr, Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Taal, Devdas, Kuch Naa Kaho, Swades, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Lagaan, Fanaa, Don, Saawariya, Guru, Jab We Met, Delhi-6, Love Aaj Kal, Khatta Meetha, Rowdy Rathore, ABCD: Any Body Can Dance, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Manikarnika, etc.

In Tamil cinema, Saroj Khan has worked in films like Thai Veedu, Kizhakku Africavil Sheela, Mani Ratnam's Iruvar, Sringaram, etc. We at Galatta Media express our deepest condolences to Saroj Khan's family and pray for the departed soul to rest in peace.