Saroj Khan (born November 22, 1948 – died July 3, 2020) was an Indian Choreographer and Writer from Mumbai, India. Her career as the main choreographer in the Bollywood lasted for 40 years.
Furthermore, she choreographed around 2000 songs in the Hindi language movies and known as The Mother of Dance/Choreography in India. She got the break as an independent dancer master from “Geeta Mera Naam” movie (1974).
She looked patient and waited for her success for many years. Soon, she recognized for her talent in the “Hawa Hawai” song of “Mr. India” film. Sridevi performed on the song and became a huge dance sensation in India.
Saroj and Madhuri Dixit came together for the “Ek Doon Teen” dance number of “Tezaab” (1987) Hindi movie. These two songs changed the destiny of Ms. Khan.
Profile Summary
Wiki/Bio | |
---|---|
Full Real Birth Name | 1. Nirmala Nagpal. 2. Saroj Khan (Name Changed after entering in film industry). |
Nickname | Moti Bachi. |
In the News For | Died due to cardiac arrest on July 3, 2020. |
Profession | Choreographer and Writer. |
Age (As of 2019) | 71 years old. |
Date of Birth (DOB), Birthday | November 22, 1948. |
Gender | Female. |
Nationality | Indian. |
Birthplace/Hometown | Mumbai, India. |
Death Date | July 3, 2020. |
Sexuality (Gay or Lesbian) | Straight. |
Death Place | Guru Nanak Hospital, Mumbai. |
Death Cause | Cardiac Arrest. |
Religion | Muslim. |
Zodiac Birth Sign | Sagittarius. |
House Location | Mumbai. |
Favorite Things | |
Hobbies | Dancing. |
Favorite Actors | Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, and Ranbir Kapoor. |
Favorite Actresses | Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit. |
Favorite Choreographer | Prabhudeva. |
Physical Statistics | |
Height | Feet & Inches: 4' 10". Centimeters: 148 cm. Meters: 1.48 m. |
Weight | Kilograms: 88 Kg. Pounds: 154 lbs. |
Eye Color | Dark Brown. |
Hair Color | Black & White. |
Career Timeline | |
Films (As a Choreographer) | 1. Nagina (1986). 2. Mr India (1987). 3. Tezaab (1988). 4. Nigahen: Nagina Part II (1989). 5. Chandni (1989). 6. Beta (1992). 7. Mohra (1994). 8. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). 9. Iruvar (1997) (Tamil). 10. Devdas (2002). 11. Fanaa (2006). 12. Jab We Met (2007). 13. Love Aaj Kal (2009). 14. Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015). 15. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019). 16. Kalank (2019). |
Movies (As a Writer) | 1. Veeru Dada (1990). 2. Khiladi (1992). 3. Hum Hain Bemisaal (1994). 4. Nazar Ke Samne (1995). 5. Chhote Sarkar (1996). 6. Dil Tera Diwana (1996). 7. Bhai Bhai (1997). 8. Hote Hote Pyar Ho Gaya (1999). 9. Benaam (1999). 10. Khanjar (2003). |
Awards | 1. American Choreography Awards for “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” movie. 2. Set record of 8 Best Choreographer Filmfare Awards. 3. First Choreographer to win the Best Choreographer Award in Filmfare for Tezaab movie. 4. Three time National Award winner for Best Choreographer in Devdas, Jab We Met and Sringaram. |
Debut Movie as a Choreographer | Mausam (1975). |
Debut Film as an artist | Nazrana (1952). |
Signature | ![]() |
Personal Life Info | |
Parents | Father: Kishanchand Sadhu Singh. Mother: Noni Singh. |
Siblings | Three sisters and one brother whose name not known. |
Marital Status | Married. |
Husband Name | 1. B.Sohanlal (Choreographer). 2. Sardar Roshan Khan. |
Son | Raju Khan (Screenwriter) and Hamid Khan. |
Last Updated | On 3 July 2020 (© Dreshare.com). |
Daughter | Hina Khan and Sukanya Khan. |
Wealth | |
Earnings & Income | Through her choreography in movies and dance shows. |
Net worth (as of 2020) | Rs. 20 Crore-Rs. 30 Crore Indian Rupees. |
https://www.instagram.com/sarojkhanofficial/ (31.3K followers). | |
https://twitter.com/mastersarojkhan (2K fans). | |
Education | |
Highest Qualification | School Education Completed. |
School | Government School. |
College/University | Not Known. |
Choreographer Saroj Khan Passed Away on July 3, 2020
Nirmala Nagpal (Saroj Khan) passed away on July 3, 2020 (1:52 am). She suffered from cardiac arrest and died. On June 17, 2020, she admitted to the Guru Nanak Hospital of Bandra, Mumbai[1]Indian Express.

Madhuri Dixit shared an Instagram picture on Saroj Khan’s death.
She compliant with breathing issues at that time. Bollywood industry is in sorrow after losing its gems like Sushant Singh Rajput, Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor, and Wajid Khan in the last few weeks.
Saroj’s daughter Sukanya talked to the media sources. She told that her mom’s body handed over to them at the night. Along with her family, she completed the final rites in Malad around 7 am. The film industry’s dancing diva suffered from severe diabetes and AIDS.
She also tested for the coronavirus and found it negative. On her demise, the top actresses Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan shared some past pictures and paid tribute. Both of them were emotional about the death of Saroj.
Childhood
“The Mother of Dance” Saroj Khan was born on November 22, 1948, in Mumbai. She attained the age of 71 years old. Her father Kishanchand Sadhu Singh and mother Noni Singh came to India after the partition in 1947.
However, her dad was orthodox and disliked her passion for dance. She enrolled in a local school near her house to complete her studies. Her extended family included three sisters and a brother whose name not known.
The story behind Saroj Khan’s Name Change

Saroj Khan and Shahrukh Khan Actor.
Khan left her schooling midway to start her career as a dancer. Still, her daddy disliked dance. Kishanchand asked to her change her name from Nirmala Nagpal to Saroj Khan.
He does not want that his relatives and friends should know about his daughter’s dance career. Saroj Khan worked as a background dancer in Bollywood films at the age of 3. She followed her father’s advice and then changed her name.
Then, she started her struggle journey in the Indian cinema. She featured in a movie titled “Nazarana” as a child artist Shyama.
Marriage, Spouse & Children

Saroj Khan’s son, Raju Khan
The 71-year-old Nirmala started her dance training with B.Sohanlal. At the age of 13, she took a major decision of her life and married to 43-year-old Sohanlal.

Saroj Khan’s birthday celebration with her granddaughter.
She did not know that her first husband was a father of four children. She left him in 1965 and then focused on her dance career. Before her first marriage, she took Islam religion. In 1966, she married again with her second spouse, a Pathan Sardar Roshan Khan.
The two of them remained together in a relationship before Saroj’s Death on July 3, 2020. Ms. Khan had two sons Raju Khan (Screenwriter), Hamid Khan, and two daughters Hina Khan and Sukanya Khan.
Filmography & Awards
She won the National Film Awards thrice for the Best Choreography in films like Jab We Met “Yeh Ishq Hai”, Devdas “Dola Re Dola” song, and Sringaram (Tamil movie). Saroj Khan was the first person who honored with the Best Choreographer Filmfare Award.
The Filmfare gave her the award after watching her choreographed “Ek Do Teen” song from the Tezaab movie. She went on hat trick to win the Best Choreographer title in the Filmfare from 1989 to 1991.

Saroj Khan on the sets of ABCD movie.
She created a recording for winning around 8 Best Choreographer titles in the Filmfare award ceremony for her movies Guru, Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Beta, Tezaab, and Chalbaaz.
She choreographed the songs in the Hindi films like Taal, Chandini, Dilwale Dhulania Le Jayenge, Lagaan: Once Upon Time In India, Swades, Jab We Met, Rowdy Rathore, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Fanaa, Kalank, and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The actors and actresses called her master Ji.
She is close to the film actresses like Madhuri Dixit with whom she worked in the films like Thandedaar (1990) “Tamma Tamma Loge” song and in Beta (1992) “Dhak Dhak Karne Laga” song. Furthermore, she trained and prepared Sridevi for her dance performances in films like Chandini and Nagina.
Some Interesting Facts about Saroj Khan
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAMt35KhZBj/
- Apart from her successful journey in the films, Nirmala joined the advisory board of the Rishihood University.
- She judged a dance reality show “Nach Baliye” (2005).
- Additionally, Nagpal appeared in the jury panel of the Sony Channel’s show Ustaadon Ka Ustaad.
- She was a choreographer in a show “Nachle Ve With Saroj Khan” aired on NDTV.
- Saroj Khan included in the jury team of Javed Jaffrey, Naved Jaffrey and Ravi Behl for the Boogie Woogie dance show of Sony.
- The Films Division of India and PSBT created a documentary titled “The Saroj Khan Story” (2012) on her life. Nandini Tuli directed the movie and released it in 2012.
- Nirmala gave her guest presence in the “Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah” as a judge in the dance competition.
- Her dance talent recognized in the American Choreography Awards for “Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India” movie.
- Khan received the Nandi Award for her choreography in Choodalani Vundi.
- However, she faced online backlash for her comments on the existence of the casting couch in Bollywood. She apologized to the people in 2018.
- Saroj Khan’s net worth estimated between Rs. 20 Crore – Rs. 30 Crore Indian Rupees as of 2020.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBazhptBaWV/
- She made regular posts on her Instagram account 31.1K and shared her past memories.
- In addition to this, she last posted and paid tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput’s death on June 14, 2020. She was emotional while writing posts on her Instagram handles. Furthermore, she admired his skills in the movie.
- She maintains her active presence on a popular social networking platform i.e. Twitter.
- Her favorite Hindi movie actors are Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor.
- Saroj had a friendly relationship with the Bollywood actresses named Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi.

With Ashwariya Rai Bachchan Actress.
- She admired the dance skills of Prabhudeva (Choreographer).
- Her birth date is November 22 therefore her zodiac sign is Sagittarius. She grew in a Hindu family and before her first wedding, she left Hinduism religion and followed Islam.
- As a writer, she wrote films like Khanjar, Chhote Sarkar, Khiladi, Hote Hote Pyar Ho Gaya, Dil Tera Diwana, Judge Mujrim, and Daava.
- In the coronavirus outbreak in India, she asked the people to stay safe at home with her picture uploaded on social media. Along with other Bollywood celebrities Akshay Kumar, Kartik Aaryan, and other people she spread awareness in the coronavirus lockdown period.
Saroj Khan Choreography Class on Madhuri Dixit’s Dance Song
References
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