On June 27, the music fell silent. Shefali Jariwala, the face that made a complete era swing to the beats of ‘Kaanta Laga,’ handed away on the age of 42, following a suspected cardiac arrest. Declared useless upon arrival on the hospital, her sudden demise despatched a wave of shock throughout the leisure business and past. However those that knew her, labored along with her, and cherished her, keep in mind her not simply because the ‘Kaanta Laga woman,’ however as somebody who was energetic, goals, and substance.‘We discovered our doll on a scooter trip’ – Filmmaker Vinay Sapru remembers discovering ShefaliFilmmaker Vinay Sapru, who co-directed the enduring remix video with Radhika Rao, recalled their first assembly prefer it occurred yesterday. “We found her when she was simply 19. It wasn’t a structured casting course of—it was future,” he instructed ETimes.“We have been driving on Linking Street when a scooter got here up subsequent to us. A mom was driving, and a younger woman was hugging her from behind. Radhika and I checked out one another and stated, ‘That’s our woman.’”Once they stopped her at a sign and handed her their card, Shefali revealed she was an engineering pupil with no expertise in entrance of the digital camera. “Nonetheless, she got here to our workplace the very subsequent day,” Vinay stated, smiling. “She was all power and coronary heart. No coaching, however energetic. That innocence, these kisses she blew on the digital camera—she was precisely what we had imagined. We knew we had discovered our doll.”A narrative that stayed etched in Vinay’s coronary heart was from Shefali’s birthday rehearsal. “She’d simply obtained a pair of white denims from her sister. We instructed her to take the break day and have a good time. However she insisted on working,” he recalled.“She stated, ‘How I spend my birthday units the tone for my 12 months.’ On the finish of rehearsals, her brand-new white denims have been coated in mud. Her eyes welled up when she noticed them. However she smiled and stated, ‘That is the very best birthday I’ve had—rehearsing and reducing cake with all of you.’ That’s the form of woman she was.”
Vinay mirrored on the shoot schedule, which spanned simply three tight days. “We’d pack up at 2 am and be again at 7 am. However Shefali by no means missed a beat. She knew all the music revolved round her. She gave it the whole lot she had.”What began with a spontaneous scooter sighting became one in all Indian popular culture’s most iconic music movies. “Inside three months, she grew to become the nation’s crush,” he stated. “Twenty years later, individuals nonetheless confer with her because the Kaanta Laga woman. She needed that. She as soon as instructed me, ‘I wish to be remembered that approach endlessly.’ And he or she can be.”‘She got here with muffins and goals simply 20 days in the past’
Their last assembly was crammed with laughter and planning. “Simply 20 days in the past, she visited us with muffins and pastries from her favourite Japanese bakery,” Vinay recalled. “She stated, ‘I’ve had an unbelievable 20 years… now let’s plan the following 20.’”They spoke for hours, discussing new songs, dwell occasions, and a recent inventive chapter. “Every thing was falling into place,” he stated. “And now she’s gone. Perhaps it’s true—God takes His favourites early.”With a heavy coronary heart, he added, “Folks have requested us to make Kaanta Laga 2 or 3. We by no means may. And now, we by no means will. We’re retiring the music—like a jersey quantity—as a result of it belonged to her. It at all times did.”‘She was a contented soul who cherished life’ – Shreyas Talpade shares his recollections
Actor Shreyas Talpade, who labored with Shefali within the ALTBalaji comedy Child Come Naa, remembered her as “inherently easy and deeply connected to her household.”“She grew to become extra energetic on social media throughout our shoot and shortly mastered it,” he instructed ETimes. “She was chilled out about work and cherished spending high quality time along with her family members. A contented particular person, energetic. What occurred is simply too surprising. I pray her household finds power throughout these extremely troublesome occasions.”‘I used to name her Chupdi, my Chupdi’ – Hindustani Bhau on their sibling-like bond
Vikas Fhatak, popularly generally known as Hindustani Bhau, grew to become near Shefali throughout Bigg Boss 13. “She was like a sister, like a daughter to me,” he instructed ANI, his voice trembling. “I used to name her Chupdi—my Chupdi. That bond was actual.”Bhau recalled her power and described her as “a daughter who had the guts and accountability of a son.” He added, “She took care of her total household. She had a coronary heart assault, however her coronary heart was by no means weak.”Their recollections collectively at the moment are painful reminders of her absence. “Her quantity continues to be saved in my mom’s cellphone. But it surely doesn’t ring anymore. That silence… it breaks you,” he stated.On Rakshabandhan, she would shock him with items. “I’ve so many recollections. I cry simply considering of them,” he admitted. “Why did she must go like this? All we are able to do now’s pray for her peace.”‘She was a celebrity from day one’ – Mika Singh bids farewell
Singer Mika Singh, who featured alongside Shefali within the hit monitor Honthon Pe Bas, expressed his sorrow outdoors the funeral. “She achieved stardom at an age when most individuals are nonetheless determining who they’re,” he stated.“Shefali wasn’t only a fairly face—she was a performer, a magnet. Whether or not it was followers or administrators, everybody cherished her. Wherever she went, she left a mark.”Talking about her husband, actor Parag Tyagi, Mika stated, “Her mom was inconsolable. Parag… he’s shattered. My coronary heart breaks for him. She was his world.”He ended with a poignant reminder: “Stars like Shefali by no means die. They dwell on in our hearts. She was a celebrity from day one—and she or he’ll at all times be remembered that approach.”‘I’ll discover you in each lifetime’ – Parag Tyagi’s transferring farewell
After her prayer meet, Parag Tyagi lastly broke his silence, sharing an emotional publish:“I’ll discover you each time you might be born and I’ll love you in each lifetime. I really like you eternally, meri gundi, meri chokri.”In his earlier publish, he wrote, “Shefali, meri pari—the ever-eternal Kaanta Laga—was a lot greater than what met the attention. She was hearth wrapped in grace… fiercely pushed, but mushy and selfless. She was sab ki maa—at all times placing others first, at all times providing consolation. A beneficiant daughter, a faithful spouse, and an exquisite mother to Simba.”She lived with love, left with grace
Shefali Jariwala lived a life that blended stardom with simplicity, fame with humility. She was a lady subsequent door who grew to become a nationwide icon, but by no means misplaced contact along with her roots.Her story isn’t nearly a viral music video or a TV present. It’s a couple of life well-lived, relationships deeply felt, and recollections that may linger—on screens, in hearts, and within the mushy rhythm of Kaanta Laga. She could have left the stage, however her concentration is going to by no means dim.Might her identify be remembered not simply because the Kaanta Laga woman, however as Shefali—the performer, the pal, the daughter, the spouse, the dreamer, and the star who shone in her personal distinctive gentle.