Music video director and filmmaker Vinay Sapru is still trying to come to terms with the sudden death of Shefali Jariwala, the face of the iconic music video ‘Kaanta Laga’, which he directed over two decades ago. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Vinay opened up about discovering Shefali, her rise to instant fame, and the irreplaceable void her death has left behind.
Shefali Jariwala died on June 28 at the age of 42, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. Her death has shocked the industry and those who knew her closely, including Vinay, who not only launched her career but remained one of her closest mentors and friends.
Vinay recalled the moment he heard the news. “Around midnight, I got a message and I couldn’t believe it. For me and Radhika it was like a nightmare. For us, it wasn’t just a professional bond, it was a 20-year-long journey. In our Indian tradition, she was like a ‘shishya’. It’s heartbreaking.”
Recalling how he discovered Shefali, Vinay said, “Radhika and I were driving on Linking Road, Bandra, in Mumbai, and parallel to us came a scooter. The mother was riding it, and the young girl was hugging her from behind. They just drove past us. Radhika and I looked at each other and said, ‘What a pretty girl.’ We stopped them, gave her a visiting card, and invited her to audition. It felt like it was meant to be.”
That spontaneous encounter would go on to define early 2000s pop culture, with Shefali’s striking screen presence in ‘Kaanta Laga’ making her a national sensation overnight.
“She came from a very good family, was doing engineering, and had no background in acting or dance,” Vinay shared. “She worked hard every single day after college to rehearse with us. I remember once, during rehearsals, she wore brand-new white jeans her sister gifted her for her birthday. She didn’t want to miss practice and ended up staining them. She had tears in her eyes but didn’t complain. That was her dedication.”
Vinay also credited her for shaping the visual identity of the song. “We couldn’t crack her hairstyle, until we styled her after a Japanese doll that belonged to my daughter. It became part of her unforgettable look.”
Despite the fame, Vinay said Shefali remained grounded. “She never expressed disappointment about not getting more work. She was always cheerful, well-turned-out, and so full of positivity. Someone once asked her what she wanted to be remembered as, and she said, ‘a good human being.’ That’s exactly what she was.”
He shared that Shefali was actively planning her next phase of life. “She was in our office just 20 days ago. She brought cookies from her favourite Japanese bakery for the whole team. She told me, ‘The first 20 years were great, now let’s plan the next 20.’ She had so much energy and so many ideas. She was ready to take on the world,” Vinay said.
When asked about social media speculation linking Shefali’s death to anti-ageing medication, Vinay firmly responded, “These are just rumours. She was a health freak, very disciplined, always in the gym. Like many today, she followed diets and used plant-based supplements. But any talk of addiction or misuse is baseless and unfair.”
If Vinay had to sum her up to someone who had never met her, it would be this, “She was a bundle of energy. There was never a dull moment around her. She was the happiest and the nicest soul.”
As he scrolled through social media flooded with tributes, Vinay confessed, “I can still hear her voice, her laughter. I saw her as a girl on the road who changed her destiny. It was one defining moment, and for 22 years, those memories have never left us. And they never will.”
The postmortem report following Shefali Jariwala’s sudden death is still awaited. Meanwhile, the actor was cremated at the Oshiwara Crematorium in Mumbai on Saturday.
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