"Saroj Khan Brought Out The Dancer In Me": Anil Kapoor, Who "Learnt A Lot From Her"

Anil Kapoor, who featured in several iconic Bollywood songs from Nineties choreographed by Saroj Khan, said: "Thank you, Saroj ji for the unforgettable memories" in his tribute post. Hours after Saroj Khan's death left the film fraternity grieving, the 63-year-old actor, who has worked with Saroj Khan in films such as Beta, Tezaab and Taal, wrote: "With her grace and artistry, Saroj ji found a place in all our hearts that no one has ever been able to take... she made the most beautiful dance compositions and turned many non-dancers into dancers. I was fortunate enough to work with her in many films and got to learn a lot from her."

Anil Kapoor thanked Saroj Khan for helping him challenge the dancer in him: "She brought out the dancer in me that I didn't even know was there!"

"Her movements were magic and her face could express so many beautiful emotions... there's no one like her... Saroj ji has left her mark and will be remembered forever. I will miss her a lot...Love You Saroj ji... Thank You for everything," Anil Kapoor concluded his post for Saroj Khan.

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With her grace & artistry, Saroj ji found a place in all our hearts that noone has ever been able to take... she made the most beautiful dance compositions and turned many non-dancers into dancers. I was fortunate enough to work with her in many films and got to learn a lot from her. She brought out the dancer in me that I didn't even know was there! Her movements were magic & her face could express so many beautiful emotions... there's no one like her... Saroj ji has left her mark and will be remembered forever... I will miss her a lot...Love You Saroj ji...Thank You for everything

A post shared by anilskapoor (@anilskapoor) on Jul 3, 2020 at 4:58am PDT

Meanwhile, Anil Kapoor's Mr India director Shekhar Kapur shared a priceless memory from the sets of the film, sharing an anecdote from when Saroj Khan choreographed Sridevi for Hawa Hawai: "She was not just a genius at movement. She was a genius at expressions. Here she is explaining to Sridevi, how the choreography and expression were part of the same movement."

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She was not just a genius at movement. She was a genius at expressions. Here she is explaining to Sridevi, how the choreography and expression were part of the same movement. This is a sad picture. Shot on the sets of the famous number 'Hawa Hawai' Saroj Khan would be sitting on a chair. Laughing. Sharing jokes with members of the set. Suddenly the music would come on. All eyes would turn to Saroj. She would smile at SriDevi. And dance. And she would transform. We would be measmerized. This was surely another being. Her ability to be so fluid with her body belied belief. And then as she finished showing us the choreography we all could not help but applaud. When did she ever sleep? When did she ever rest? I would call her at 4 am to talk to her about a shot ( i am famous for that) . And she would talk through the shot. We would go into rehearsals at 6 am. When did she ever rest? When did she ever stop smiling? With Saroj Khan went the particularity Indian style of body movement. Her choreography defined the Indian woman in all her forms. The seductive, the sexy, the traditional, the Devi. With her has gone the purely Indian form, adapted to Cinema. Modern, upbeat, but always Indian. Times change. Now all our leading ladies learn a more Western form of dance. Goodbye Sarojji . Goodbye you amazing force of nature ! #sarojkhan #mrindia #sridevi #hawahawai #choreography #dance #film #musicalnumbers #indiandance

A post shared by @ shekharkapur on Jul 3, 2020 at 12:56am PDT

Anil Kapoor's Beta co-star Madhuri Dixit also shared this heart-wrenching send-off note for Saroj Khan: "I'm devastated and at an utter loss of words today! Saroj ji was part of my journey since the beginning," she wrote.

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I'm devastated & at an utter loss of words today! Saroj ji was part of my journey since the beginning. She taught me a lot, not just about dance but so much more. There's a rush of memories in my head thinking of this big personal loss. My heartfelt condolences to the family 💔

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene) on Jul 2, 2020 at 9:51pm PDT

Saroj Khan died of a cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Friday. She was 71. Saroj Khan's last choreographed song remains Tabah Ho Gaye from Kalank.