Born to a poor couple who migrated to India after Partition, Saroj Khan became one of Bollywood's most well regarded choreographers.
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00:00My daughter died. She was 8 months and 5 days.
00:03I buried her and I had a train at 5 o'clock.
00:08Where do I have to go?
00:09Hare Rama, Hare Krishna.
00:12And what song do I have to sing?
00:13Dum Maro Dum.
00:17I am the daughter of a poor family.
00:21We were refugees in India and Pakistan.
00:25When we were born, my parents came here.
00:28I was born a year later in Bombay.
00:33They had nothing.
00:36I had to leave everything behind.
00:40It was difficult to take care of the house.
00:45When I was 3 years old, I used to watch Shadow and dance.
00:51In our family, no one knows how to dance.
00:55We have no connection with music or photography.
01:00No one makes paintings.
01:03My mother thought I was a freak.
01:07She took me to a doctor.
01:09The doctor was connected to the film industry.
01:12He said, this girl wants to dance.
01:15Why are you stopping her?
01:16You need money anyway.
01:19Let her dance.
01:21My mother said, we don't know anyone here.
01:24I said, no problem, I will introduce her to the film industry.
01:29That's how I entered the industry.
01:31To save my mother and father.
01:33From, you know, little children were there behind me also.
01:41My sister was very young when she was born.
01:45And I lost my father when I was 10 and a half.
01:49I used to get a child role.
01:51With 10 and a half, it's such an age that you're not required in elders, neither in young age.
01:59So, I started group dancing.
02:04I was a very fine dancer till that time.
02:09And then, Mr. Sohanlal South, B. Sohanlal South, and Hiralal, his brother.
02:18They came here from Madras.
02:20So, the first song, Aplam Chaplam, was like a bomb to this industry.
02:25Because in this industry, they used to hold a tree and sing songs all around it.
02:32This was going on till then.
02:34Suddenly, they saw, there is a dance like this also.
02:38The producers went mad.
02:40Both the brothers didn't have time to eat.
02:44Day and night, their songs started.
02:47So, they used to select group dancers.
02:50And at that time, group dancers didn't know how to dance, actually.
02:55So, they used to do postures, etc.
02:59By doing this, they trained a lot of girls.
03:03I was also one of them.
03:05At that time, Masterji saw me when I was 12.
03:10He picked me out and made me his assistant, directly.
03:15So, the first song that came in my destiny was Shami Kapoor and Vyjayanti Mala.
03:20And the assistant choreographer was Harman Benjamin,
03:27who later became the exclusive dance master of Shashi Kapoor and Shami Kapoor.
03:35He was the only assistant at that time.
03:39So, we both taught Vyjayanti Mala and Shami Kapoor.
03:43So, she got very irritated with Masterji.
03:46Do we have to learn dance from kids also?
03:49So, he said, I won't tell you anything.
03:52You just do what she is doing.
03:56So, that's how she became my fan.
03:59Rather than me being her fan, she was my fan.
04:04Not was, she is my fan still.
04:07Nobody has helped me, except for Subhash Ghai.
04:13I was in the film industry.
04:16People knew me, but I didn't earn that name, which I should have.
04:23He called me for his own picture, Hero.
04:26From there, I started getting name.
04:30That people started recognizing me as a good choreographer,
04:36because otherwise Subhash won't take her.
04:40That was the point.
04:42And then I got Ek, Do, Thi.
04:45Then it was no looking back.
04:47I started when Madhuvala was on the top.
04:51I came at that time.
04:53So, I have seen all of them.
04:55Dilip Saab, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmender, Chitender.
05:00But they were all humans.
05:03Nowadays, there is no human as such.
05:07There are only machines.
05:10Including the ladies also.
05:13Nobody remembers who you are, how you are connected with them.
05:19It is only...
05:31This is the time.
05:38On the 8th.
05:40This is a must.
05:42If you don't put your heart into it, nothing will happen.
05:47My daughter died.
05:48She was 8 months and 5 days.
05:51So, I buried her in the afternoon prayer.
05:56And I had a train at 5 o'clock.
05:59Where do I have to go?
06:01Hare Rama, Hare Krishna.
06:03And what song do I have to sing?
06:05Marudham.