When Saroj Khan protected ‘Dhak Dhak’ from Censor Board Edits?
When Saroj Khan protected ‘Dhak Dhak’ from Censor Board Edits?
Saroj Khan, a legendary Bollywood choreographer, worked with top actresses like Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi. She saved the iconic Dhak Dhak song from censorship. Khan passed away on July 3, 2020.
Saroj Khan choreographed Madhuri Dixit in Dhak Dhak song.
Unquestionably, behind Hindi Cinema’s most exceptional steps are choreographers who put in their heart and soul into bringing songs to life.
One of the industry’s legendary choreographer will always be remembered and she is Saroj Khan.
In her time, she worked with actresses such as Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi, Raveena Tandon, and trained them for songs which are nothing short of a cult.
In her four-decades career Saroj Khan worked with multiple B’town’s A-listers. But her pairing with Madhuri Dixit continues to remain exceptional to date. She was the brainchild behind the hooksteps of the Dhak Dhak song from Beta, which persists to trend even today. Not many know that the song we know today would have been very different if it weren’t for Saroj Khan, who salvaged the situation by logically explaining the dance steps and preventing the censor board from suggesting major edits.
In a documentary titled The Saroj Khan Story, made by The Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) in 2012, the late choreographer shared the whole ordeal in detail. “They (CBFC) wanted to cut down the whole mukhda of the song. So they (producer, director) were petrified. They said ‘come along with us. See what they are saying, whether you can help us. So, she went.
At the censor board office, she asked a Sindhi lady wearing a saree and heels to get up and walk. Perplexed over Khan’s demand, she did what was told her she (saroj) is shaking the chest deliberately and they don’t like that’. So she (saroj)said, ‘Yes. Ma’am just get up.’ She asked why, and I said she (saroj) just want to show her something’. She got up and asked her to walk,” she said.
Saroj Khan further added, “When you are wearing high heels, your hip movement automatically goes upwards, whether you like it or not, because you are balancing yourself. I told her ‘Now you are shaking deliberately? I have to shake the body to show that I am dancing, and she (Madhuri’s character) says Dhak Dhak. From where will that sound come? From the heart. And where is the heart? Near my bust line, so I have to show Dhak Dhak (enacts the step). She was convinced and she let us go ahead.” And that’s how, she proved that when one has conviction in their own work, there’s no stopping them.
Saroj Khan passed away on July 3, 2020, due to cardiac arrest. She left behind a lasting legacy and a void that can never be fulfilled.
News Edit KV Raman
