Veteran Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan passes away
Mumbai: Renowned choreographer Saroj Khan, the name behind some of the most famous songs in Bollywood such as Dhak Dhak and Ek Do Teen , died of cardiac arrest early on Friday morning. She was 71.
The three-time National Award winner was not keeping well for some time.
She was admitted to Guru Nanak Hospital in Bandra on June 20 after she complained of breathing issues. She had tested negative for COVID-19.
"She passed away due to cardiac arrest at around 2.30 am at the hospital," Khan's nephew Manish Jagwani told PTI. Khan is survived by son Raju Khan and daughter Sukaina Khan.
Her funeral was held on Friday morning at a cemetery in suburban Malad. "We buried her at around 7 am. The prayer meeting will be held after three days," Sukaina told PTI.
Mourning her death, superstar Akshay Kumar said Khan made dance look easy and accessible.
"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 tweeted.
Actor Suniel Shetty called Khan a true guru.
"You are loved... You are irreplaceable... A true Guru," he wrote.
Director Hansal Mehta wrote, "An era is over. RIP Saroj Khan." Director Kunal Kohli, who worked with the choreographer on "Fanaa", remembered Khan as someone who stood up for people's rights.
"She stood up for the rights of people. Never bothered who was a star or not. She said her bit unadulterated and from the heart. Brought biryani on every song and fed the whole crew so lovingly.We gossiped, we worked. Thank you for the memories masterji. Saroj Khan love you always," he tweeted.
In a career spanning over four decades, Khan, who was known as Masterji, choreographed more than 2,000 songs. Khan's best work was with actors Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit, the prominent dancing stars of the 80s and 90s.
Her parents migrated to India after the Partition. She started her career in the film industry as a child artiste at the age of three and later worked as a background dancer.
The choreographer, who was born as Nirmala and later converted to Islam, learnt dance while working under film choreographer B Sohanlal. They got married when she was 13 and he was 41.
Khan got her first break as an independent choreographer with Geeta Mera Naam in 1974 but it took Sridevi's Hawa Hawai song in 1987 film Mr India for her to receive acclaim as a dance choreographer of repute.
There was no looking back for Khan after the success of the song. She choreographed Sridevi in films such as Nagina and Chandni . But it was her work with Madhuri Dixit that made her famous.
Starting with Ek Do Teen in Tezaab , she choreographed Madhuri in Tamma Tamma Loge in Thanedar and Dhak Dhak Karne Laga in Beta and "Dola Re Dola" from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Devdas". She also choreographed Kareena Kapoor in "Ye Ishq Haaye".
She last choreographed for "Tabaah Hogaye", featuring Madhuri from filmmaker Karan Johar's production "Kalank" in 2019.
Khan's death comes at a time when the film industry is already grappling with the loss of Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, Basu Chatterjee and Sushant Singh Rajput in recent months.
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India, China competition should never turn into conflict: PM Modi
New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI): Despite past tensions with China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has favoured dialogue over discord and said differences between India and China were natural but stronger cooperation was in the interests of the two neighbours and for global stability.
In a podcast with Lex Fridman, Modi said India and China were working to restore the conditions along the borders as they were before the clashes along the Line of Actual Control in 2020, the first since 1975 that resulted in deaths of security personnel on both sides.
"However, after my recent meeting with President Xi, we have seen a return to normalcy at the border. We are now working to restore conditions to how they were before 2020," Modi said referring to his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in October last year.
"Slowly but surely, trust, enthusiasm, and energy should return. But of course, it will take some time, as there has been a five-year gap," the prime minister said.
Modi said cooperation between India and China isn't just beneficial for the two nations, but also essential for global stability and prosperity.
"Since the 21st century is Asia's century, we want India and China to compete in a healthy and natural way. Competition is not a bad thing, but it should never turn into conflict," he said.
Modi said the relationship between India and China isn't something new as both nations have ancient cultures and civilizations.
"Even in the modern world, they play a significant role. If you look at historical records, for centuries, India and China have learned from each other," he said.
"Together, they have always contributed to the global good in some way. Old records suggest that at one point India and China alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of the world's GDP. That's how massive India's contribution was. And I believe our ties have been extremely strong, with deep cultural connections," Modi said.
During his over three-hour interaction, the prime minister said there was no real history of conflict between India and China if one looked back over centuries.
"It has always been about learning from each other and understanding one another. At one time, Buddhism had a profound influence in China, and that philosophy originated in India," Modi said.
"In the future too our relationship should remain just as strong and continue to grow. Differences are natural. When two neighbouring countries exist, occasional disagreements are bound to happen," he said.
Even within a family, not everything is always perfect, he said, adding "but our effort is to ensure that these differences don't turn into disputes".
"That is why we actively work towards dialogue. Instead of discord, we stress on dialogue, because only through dialogue can we build a stable cooperative relationship that serves the best interests of both nations," Modi said.
