Saroj KhanThe one who passed away on July 3, 2020, was one of the best choreographers. Indian cinema never seen Known for creating unforgettable dance sequences like ‘Ek Do Teen’ and ‘Dola Re Dola’ among many others, his professional achievements were immense, but his personal life was full of struggles and traumas. However, it was his love of dancing that kept him going. Married at 13, later found out the marriage was invalid. Forced to take responsibility early in life, he never had the chance to experience a carefree childhood. Interestingly, his inclusion in films was not planned, but happened by chance.Recalling those early days, Koshish said in an interview with Se Kaamyaabi Tak, “My father died, and I had to keep the house running. I became a dancer in the group. I was studying and I wanted to be a doctor, but God had other plans.’The defining moment of her journey came when she caught the attention of a famous dance director Sohanlal on a movie set. He noticed that not only the assigned steps, but those of the dancer Helen matched perfectly. When she was asked to perform the entire routine, she did it with confidence, as her assistant was only 12 years old.However, her association with Sohanlal soon took a complicated turn. At the age of 13, she married him, despite being three decades older, later discovering that he was already married and had four children, making their union illegal. At 14, she was expecting her first child.Reflecting on that phase in an interview with the BBC, she said: “I didn’t know what marriage meant at the time. He put a black thread around my neck one day and I thought I was married.”A few years later, in 1975, she found friendship again with businessman Sardar Roshan Khan, who proposed to her. He agreed to marry her on the condition that she accept and adopt his children from his previous relationships. A Punjabi Hindu by birth, Saroj Khan embraced Islam after her marriage, fulfilling her request.Despite finding stability later in life, personal loss continued to overshadow him. From his first marriage, he suffered the tragic loss of a baby girl who died eight months after birth.
