No One Like Her: Madhuri Pays Tribute to Saroj Ji on Guru Purnima

"Losing a friend, philosopher & guide like her is devastating," wrote Madhuri.

On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Madhuri Dixit paid an emotional tribute to her 'Master Ji' Saroj Khan, who passed away on 3 July due to cardiac arrest.

Sharing a candid image of the two, Madhuri remembered all the times she had spent with the late choreographer. "The Guru-shishya bond that we shared, the assurance that she would be my mother on the sets, I'll miss everything. Today on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I pay my tribute to her," she wrote.

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I still can’t believe master ji is no more. Losing a friend, philosopher & guide like her is devastating. It was difficult for me to put down my grief in words. I had spoken to her daughter when she was in the hospital & she told me that Saroj ji would be fine. Two days later, she was gone.⁣⁣ ⁣ The Guru-shishya bond that we shared, the assurance that she would be my mother on the sets, I'll miss everything. Today on the occasion of Guru Purnima, I pay my tribute to her. ⁣⁣ ⁣ Nobody can make women look so beautiful, desirable & sensuous on-screen like her. She made everything look like poetry in motion. Smitten by her, I had told her, "Saroji ji, agar aap shakkar hoti na, I would add you in my cup of tea & drink it." She would laugh heartily at this. I'll miss that playful laughter.⁣ ⁣ The first time I met her was while shooting for Maine Rab Se from Karma. Saroj ji asked me so many questions, one being 'Where did you learn to dance?' Unfortunately, our sequence was removed from the song. I'll miss her many questions.⁣ ⁣ Saroj Khan was a game changer in the industry. She was the rebel in the male-dominated profession. There were rough edges to her personality & I feel that's because life had been pretty uneven to her. I'll miss that determined & headstrong woman.⁣⁣ ⁣ Dancing in front of the camera & dancing on stage are two different things. Saroj ji taught me how to romance the camera when we worked on Ek Do Teen. Such was the song’s popularity that Filmfare had to create the Best Choreography category to honour Saroj ji. I'll miss her resolve to push the envelope all the time. ⁣⁣ ⁣ Her Nazakat, the aadayein, the elegance of every move, I was besotted. I knew we would do a lot of songs together. So we decided not to repeat any of the movements. She agreed to create hook steps that people will identify with every song. We created so many movements with no knowledge about what they are called. Who knew Tamma Tamma step was Dab? I'lll miss inventing hook steps with her.⁣ ⁣ She was close to my family as well & this loss is deeply personal. There's no one like her & there won't be another like her. Saroj ji, I'll miss everything about you. I'll miss your 'Perrrfect'!

A post shared by Madhuri Dixit (@madhuridixitnene) on Jul 5, 2020 at 5:18am PDT

Madhuri revealed the first time they met was on the sets of Karma, for the song 'Maine Rab Se' and mentioned that ''Master Ji' was a game-changer in the male-dominated industry. "There were rough edges to her personality & I feel that's because life had been pretty uneven to her. I'll miss that determined & headstrong woman.⁣," she added.

"Saroj ji taught me how to romance the camera when we worked on 'Ek Do Teen'. Such was the song’s popularity that Filmfare had to create the Best Choreography category to honour Saroj ji. I'll miss her resolve to push the envelope all the time."

Madhuri Dixit

The actor added that she'll miss creating iconic steps with Saroj Khan. “I knew we would do a lot of songs together. So we decided not to repeat any of the movements. She agreed to create hook steps that people will identify with every song. We created so many movements with no knowledge about what they are called. Who knew Tamma Tamma step was Dab? I’ll miss inventing hook steps with her,” the actor said.

The choreographer passed away on Friday, 3 July after suffering a cardiac arrest. In a statement, her family said that the prayer meet has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.