The bustling set fell silent as she hollered "Sound". The beats of Choli ke peechhe filled the air, as Masterji — as she was fondly addressed — with her dupatta tied firmly around her waist, showed the next set of steps to Madhuri Dixit. Choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant says her first memory of Saroj Khan never quite left her. To the then 13-year-old Merchant, Khan was the woman who was entrusted with the most vibrant facet of a film — the song and dance.

"Though my grandfather B Hiralalji and his brother B Sohanlalji [Khan's guru] were famous choreographers, my understanding of choreography came about with Ek do teen [Tezaab, 1988]. It was only after the song that there was so much media attention on the choreographer. Sarojji was a legend who brought the art to the forefront," says Merchant, who finally got the opportunity to work with her idol on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 3.