Saroj Khan was mentoring Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday, says daughter: ‘She was happy to be part of their journey’

Choreographer Saroj Khan’s daughter, Sukaina, has said that her mother never complained about working to provide for her family, and that recently, she was particularly satisfied teaching dance to the young crop of Bollywood actors. Saroj died of a cardiac arrest on Friday, at the age of 71.

“My mother was my hero. She was the greatest influence in my life. She was both a mother and father to me,” Sukaina told Pinkvilla. “She was very lenient but at the same time, wanted my etiquette to be perfect. She loved me being around her since I’m the youngest. My mum was my fighter. From the age of 13 to 71, she has done everything to fend for us and give us a full life. She has never complained and was the man of the house.”

Sukaina said that Saroj complained of breathlessness on June 20, and the family was concerned that she might have contracted Covid-19. She tested negative. “But then, suddenly two to three days ago, she suddenly had a huge spike in her diabetes, which went up to 600-650 on the scale,” Sukaina said. “Last night, we were called when she was sleeping and at 1.52 am today, she had a cardiac arrest. We tried reviving her till 2 o’clock but she didn’t respond.”

Also read: When Saroj Khan slapped Shah Rukh Khan for complaining about being overworked: ‘There is no such thing as too much work’

Sukaina continued, “When it comes down to work, she wanted to go back to work. Whether she’s got fever, cold; it doesn’t make a difference. She never liked making excuses. Even if she wasn’t shooting, she was teaching the newcomers personally. She was teaching dance to Alizeh Agnihotri, Ananya Panday, Sara Ali Khan and Saiee Manjrekar and was quite happy with it. She was just too happy to be part of their journeys.”

Her death has been received with sadness from the film community. Several actors that she mentored in the past, such as Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and others, paid tribute to her. Ananya shared a picture of herself with the late choreographer, and wrote, “Love You Masterji.”

Follow @htshowbiz for more