When Madhuri Dixit recalled PACT with Saroj Khan; promised never to repeat steps; 'later regretted'

Ahead of her birthday, Madhuri Dixit looked back on her remarkable association with the late choreographer Saroj Khan, who played a defining role in shaping many of her most memorable dance performances. From iconic songs like 'Ek Do Teen' and 'Choli Ke Peeche' to classical-inspired numbers in later films, the duo created some of the most celebrated choreography in Hindi cinema. Their collaboration helped establish Madhuri as one of Bollywood’s most admired dancers.In a interview with ANI, Madhuri recalled how Saroj Khan trained her to adapt her classical dance background to the technical demands of performing for the camera. She said, "I had worked with Saroj Khan even before Tezaab. We did Uttar Dakshin and a few films like that in which there was a lot of Indian dancing. So when N Chandra (Director of Tezaab) said, I want to do this stage performance and which is like hardcore Bollywood dancing, she said, You know what? I know you're a good classical dancer, but I don't know if you can do a Bollywood song. So I want you to practice. And I'm like, yes, I'm there. I'm practising. Even when I was dancing in films up to that point, I knew I was a good dancer, but I couldn't do it the way it's supposed to be done because I was so used to dancing on stage. And there are no restrictions on stage, and here it's a camera. And you have to talk to the camera while you're dancing."Madhuri explained that film choreography demanded precision and a strong awareness of camera angles. "I found that a little hard. Like, you know, you're dancing here, but you have to give your right profile. And then you're doing some movement, which is on the left. It used to confuse me a lot. And I said, yes, I want to rehearse for this so that I get my, you know, my movements right. So when I'm on stage, all I can concentrate on is the camera angles and how it's being shot, and I understand that whole dynamic. We practised with Sarojji. We did it again and again and again. So people say, you're so effortless.... But I know how much we worked hard to learn the movement, to do it again and again,"Madhuri also revealed that after Tezaab, she and Saroj Khan made a special promise to ensure that no dance step would ever be repeated in their future songs. "We had a pact after Tezaab, we knew that we were going to do a lot of songs together because I loved her style and she loved my style because she thought I did justice to her movements and everything. And we had a pact that we won't repeat the movements ever. Like, we will make every song look like a new song...every hook step should be different from the others. And we made the pact, which she later regretted."Madhuri fondly remembered how her sharp memory for choreography often surprised Saroj Khan. She added, "Because I have an elephant's memory for movements. If she showed me a movement, I said, Why? We've done this in that song. So she's like, I regret ever saying that to you," Saroj Khan passed away on July 3, 2020. Madhuri continues to honor her as a mentor and spiritual guide every year on Guru Purnima. Madhuri was last seen in 'Mrs. Deshpande'.