Youngsters turning West, says Saroj

Saroj Khan bemoans the trend among youngsters to learn Western dances.

Mumbai: Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan, known for her numbers like `Choli ke Peeche and `Ek Do Teen`, feels traditional Indian dance forms have taken a backseat, but with TV reality shows they are staging a comeback."Today we see Western dances like locking and popping, jazz, salsa and hip-hop gaining popularity, while interest in traditional and classical Indian dance forms is diminishing. Though I believe in change, we must not forget or neglect our traditional dance forms," she told reporters here.

Western dances can make your feel hip, but they don`t give you the status of a good dancer, which can come only from learning Indian classical forms, she said. Saroj, who made her debut as a choreographer in Gulzar`s `Mausam` in 1975, shot to fame with Sridevi`s `Main Teri Dushman` number in `Nagina`. `Ek Do Teen` (‘Tezaab’) and `Choli ke Peeche` (‘Khalnayak’), both featuring Madhuri Dixit, made her a star dance choreographer. The National Award winner bemoans the trend among youngsters to learn Western dances and neglect Indian forms. "I feel sad about it. We are forgetting our culture. The traditional classical dance seems to be dying. But as long as I live, I will try and remind people about the form." Saroj, who has made leading ladies from Nutan to Sridevi to Madhuri to Aishwarya Rai shake to her moves, has been a judge on reality dance shows like `Boogie Woogie`, `Nach Baliye` and `Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa`.The choreographer said reality shows provide a platform to remind people about the traditional Indian dances. "I think through reality shows we can make youngsters take interest in Indian dance forms and reinvent them," the 61-year-old choreographer said. Saroj, who is one of the judges for the dance reality show for children `Chak Dhoom Dhoom', starting on Colors from tomorrow, said, "we would ensure that the aspiring kids get to learn all forms of dances." PTI