Karan Johar recalls being ‘traumatised’ by Saroj Khan on sets of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, says ‘She literally pushed me’

Karan Johar recalls working with Saroj Khan

• Karan Johar recalls Saroj Khan scolding him on DDLJ set over outfit error
• Saroj Khan pushed and yelled at him, leaving him traumatized in front of crew.
• Saroj Khan passed away in 2020 at age 71 after suffering a cardiac arrest

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Filmmaker Karan Johar recalled working with late choreographer Saroj Khan on Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol's classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

He recalled that he became a victim of the choreographer’s anger, which had left him traumatised. The filmmaker also disclosed that she scolded him in front of the entire crew.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Karan Johar recounted an incident on the sets of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. He described how a last-minute outfit error during the filming of the Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna song put him in the line of fire with choreographer Saroj Khan.

Karan was working as Aditya Chopra's assistant in the Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

The filmmaker recalled, “I, to save the situation, went to Jojo, Saroj ji’s assistant, and very cleverly said, you know, Jojo, I think accha lagega (it will look good), unko bolo, apna ek haath pocket mein rakho (tell them to keep one hand in their pockets), stylish lagega, cool lagega (it will look cool, it will look stylish). Because I didn’t have any more cloth.”

Prior to Saroj Khan's arrival, Karan's approach appeared to be effective. The filmmaker further recalled that the late choreographer realised something was wrong right away. She scolded Karan in front of the entire staff on site after realising who was responsible.

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Karan said, “She literally pushed me. She said, ‘Tu jahaan jaana chaahe, ja, Goregaon ja, laal kapda la, warna main shoot nahi karungi (Go wherever you need to go, go to Goregaon, bring the red cloth, otherwise I will not shoot)’. I still remember the visual of us running on the streets of Goregaon saying, ‘laal kapda! Laal kapda! (Red cloth! Red cloth!). I was scared for my life. I was traumatised, traumatised, you know, and she was really scary. Like, she was the best. She somehow did not like me. She never liked me."

Saroj Khan passed away on July 3, 2020, after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was 71. The choreographer was rushed to Mumbai’s Guru Nanak Hospital a month prior to her death after complaining of breathing issues.