Choreographer Saroj Khan dies of cardiac arrest

Bollywood’s first female choreographer Saroj Khan, whose sizzling dance routines breathed life into hundreds of films, died yesterday, triggering further heartbreak in an industry already reeling from a string of recent deaths. Khan choreographed more than 2,000 numbers during a 40-year career that saw her work with superstars like Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor to create dazzling song-and-dance routines that are a distinctive feature of Hindi films. A spokeswoman for Guru Nanak hospital in Mumbai said Khan, 71, was admitted to the facility on Thursday evening after complaining of respiratory problems. She “was declared dead at approximately 2.30am” after suffering cardiac arrest, the spokeswoman said.