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Saroj Khan’s ‘Dola Re Dola’ Revisited: Choreography Through Pain, A Haul of 17 Awards

New retrospectives draw on past interviews to stress the sequence’s enduring cultural influence.

Overview

  • Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali recalls Saroj Khan being in severe pain during the shoot, lying on the floor to direct steps over a 15‑day schedule.
  • The Devdas number earned Saroj Khan her first National Film Award and, by multiple accounts, a total of 17 honors tied to the choreography.
  • Khan said she designed balanced, challenging steps for Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai, noting distinct rehearsal approaches for each star.
  • Reporters highlight the song’s fashion impact, with its sarees and jewellery entering mainstream style and later receiving an onscreen tribute by Karan Johar.
  • Unresolved claims persist over costume credit between Neeta Lulla and Abu JaniSandeep Khosla, and past interviews cite later credit and payment tensions around Khan’s work.