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Attenborough’s Gandhi, two national diligence, now a female cutting films is not
awards for Lekin and Lagaan and several an oddity.
other honours. Her work is distinguished
for meticulous research and attention to Saroj Khan:
detail. For period films, she had no equal. When the portly dance
masters ruled Hindi cinema,
BR Vijayalakshmi: a young Saroj Khan clawed
The daughter of her way in and went on
filmmaker BR Panthulu, to become a successful
she started her movie choreographer having done films too
career as an assistant to numerous to list and won many awards. In
cinematographer Ashok fact, it is after her creative and extravagantly
Kumar, and eventually choreographed dance numbers, Filmfare had
went independent in 1985, with the Tamil to introduce an award for Best Choreography
film Chinna Veedu. The opening titles with Saroj Khan as the first winner for Ek Do
of the K Bhagyaraj film, Veedu, declared Teen in Tezaab. She won it for the next two
in Tamil: Debutant cinematographer. years for Chaalbaaz and Sailaab. Actresses
Pride of womanhood. First Tamil woman. like Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya
(source: Scroll.in). Subsequently, she Rai owe their initial success to Saroj Khan’s
did the camerawork for over 22 films hit dance numbers. She paved the way
and is credited as Asia’s first woman for other women choreographers like
cinematographer. Farah Khan, Rekha Prakash and Vaibhavi
Merchant, but remains the pioneer.
Renu Saluja:
When it was unthinkable Farah Khan:
for Bollywood to have Before the success of Farah
female technicians, a Khan’s Main Hoon Na, no
trained at the Pune Film female director had been
Institute Renu Saluja able to get a huge box-
crashed the male bastion office hit. Though women
of editing. Initially she filmmakers like Aparna
edited the films for her FTII buddies Sen, Sai Paranjpye, Kalpana Lajmi, Tanuja
like Vidhu Vinod Chopra (she was also Chandra and others were making films, none
married to him), Kundan Shah, Saeed of them were money-spinners. Farah Khan
Mirza and others. Later she did films like started her career as a choreographer with
Ardh Satya and Bandit Queen. She won Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander. She brought a fresh
National Awards for her work in Parinda, and youthful style to her dance numbers,
Dharavi, Sardar, and Godmother. All her which got stars like Aamir and Shah
directors give her credit for understanding Rukh Khan dancing to her directions. The
the medium and transforming their work friendship eventually led to her making her
with her genius at the editing table. She successful debut as a filmmaker. Farah Khan
died of cancer in 2002, but opened the door is among the first winners in the male race of
for other women editors and thanks to her commercial Hindi cinema.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #69 | MARCH 2025 33
