Saroj Khan was known to be a tough teacher, and there are several instances where she didn’t spare leading actresses when it came to perfecting every dance move. However, the choreographer was equally protective and considerate towards her team, even standing up to a leading star like Karisma Kapoor for them.
When Saroj Khan vowed to never work with Karisma
In a recent interaction with Bollywood Thikana, dancer Rubina Khan, who worked closely with Saroj Khan, recalled an incident that allegedly led to a fallout between Saroj and Karisma, after which they never worked together again. Rubina shared, “One time, Karisma Kapoor was shooting a song with Saroj Khan. In that song, there was a sequence where the actors had to run and stop at a particular spot. The set had a tree, and according to the sequence, some boys and girls were hiding on it. During the shot, one of the branches broke and a boy who was hiding there accidentally fell on Karisma Kapoor. She got hurt.”
Karisma was reportedly upset after the accident and began yelling at the dancer, which Saroj Khan did not approve of, leading to a confrontation between the two. “Karisma became extremely angry. She started yelling and abusing him. She called him an idiot. This behaviour upset Saroj Khan because she was always very protective of her team. Saroj ji immediately intervened and told Karisma that she could not behave like that. The boy had not done it intentionally, and he had apologised too. But Karisma refused to continue shooting and walked out of the set, which was understandable. After that, Saroj Khan never worked with Karisma Kapoor again,” she said.
When Karisma condoled Saroj Khan’s death
Despite the reported altercation, when Saroj Khan passed away in 2020, Karisma remembered the late choreographer fondly. She said, “Saroj Ji, cannot forget the endless hours learning dance and expression from you at Satyam Hall. Your teachings took me a long way. RIP.” She also added the hashtags “Master”, “Teacher” and “Dance Guru.”
On the work front, Karisma was last seen in Netflix’s acclaimed film Murder Mubarak. She also served as a judge on the 2024 reality show India’s Best Dancer 4.
