Guts on the dance floor

BLACK magic can be dangerous. Ask Saroj Khan. Last August she was in coma. Saroj could not move her hands and legs until a friend removed the pins stuck in a voodoo doll in her cupboard.
“Someone was very desperate to see me either paralysed or dead and tried this jadu on me. It is God’s will that I survived,� Saroj tells us, relaxing in her cosy hotel room in Pune.
It was a rough journey for this veteran dancing queen, who had the likes of Rekha, Sridevi, Madhuri, Karisma, Urmila to Aishwarya dancing to her moves.
Beginning her career at the age of three, Nirmala was renamed Saroj and got her first break in the film Nazrana. “I played little Shyama, sitting on the moon and singing a song,� she reminisces, “From a child artiste I became a group dancer and then graduated to being an assistant dance master and finally dance master.�
Fame came knocking on her door with Subash Ghai’s Hero and after that, there was no looking back. After almost two decades in the industry, Saroj feels that she’s never been the kind to fear healthy competition from emerging choreographers.
“I am not scared of Farah Khan, Ahmed Khan, Chinni Prakash, Tarun or Ganesh. I am scared of my own work. As long as I do quality work, I have nothing to worry about. I don’t watch music channels for inspiration, I simply rely on my imagination. When Dola La Re won the national award I knew I was still in the running. My heroines never have a problem with me. I make them look sensuous, but never vulgar,� Saroj says.
Talk about her favourite actress, Madhuri Dixit, and Saroj flashes a smile “There is nobody like Madhuri and I definitely miss her. Her charms, expressions and the ability to grasp the hardest of steps make her the best,� she gushes.
Talk about her children, Raju Khan, Kuku Khan and Sukaina Khan and Saroj gets all emotional.
“My son, Raju and I are more like friends. We fight a lot, but always sort out our differences. Professionally, Raju, also a choreographer, and I are rivals. He keeps telling me to retire and make space for others, but I have no such plans. As of now, I’m still fit, even though I have slowed down my pace. I am happy being a part of this industry. It’s family to me,� she says.