Choreographer Subal Sarkar dead

Mumbai, Nov 12 (IANS) Renowned dancer and choreographer of Marathi film industry Subal Sarkar died here Saturday following a prolonged illness, a family friend said. He was 76.

Sarkar breathed his last at his Dadar residence in the morning. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Sarkar, hailing from West Bengal, started his career as a choreographer with the Marathi movie 'Soyarik' in 1975.

Since then, he never looked back and choreographed for nearly 100 films in the last 37 years.

Sarkar was noted for his earthy and robust dance styles, including the state's folk dance, 'Laavni', which he implemented on top Marathi stars including Dada Kondke and Ashok Saraf among many others.

Among his notable movies in Marathi are: 'Maherchi Sari', 'Ram Ram, Gangaram', 'Pandu Havaldar', and Hindi movies like 'Andheri Raat Me, Diya Tere Haath Me', 'Tere Mere Beech Me', 'Aage Ki Soch', 'Khol De Meri Zubaan', and a few Gujarati movies.

Expressing deep grief over Sarkar's death, state PWD and Tourism Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that Marathi film industry and the state has lost 'a highly respected choreographer who experimented with different dance styles, but never repeated himself'.