'Kaanta Laga' Director Recalls Chance Encounter With Shefali Jariwala: “The Mother Was…”
Shefali Jariwala, known for lighting up screens with her unforgettable presence in Kaanta Laga, tragically passed away on Friday night. While the cause of her death is yet to be confirmed, those who knew her closely are remembering not just the star, but the spirited girl behind the icon.
Filmmaker Vinay Sapru, who first spotted her most suddenly, shared a touching memory that feels almost cinematic in itself. In a recent interview, he recalled meeting her for the first time for the song.
Here’s what he said!
Vinay Sapru recalls meeting Shefali Jariwala for the first time
Speaking with India Today, Vinay recalled driving with his wife Radhika when they spotted Shefali riding a scooter with her mother. They called her in for an audition shortly after. Vinay also shared that Shefali never felt disappointed about “not getting more work.”
Vinay recalled, “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,” he said.
He said that Shefali remained grounded, adding that she "never expressed disappointment about not getting more work".
Vinay added, "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."
For the uninitiated, filmmaker Vinay Sapru and Radhika Rao created the iconic song video, Kaanta Laga. Recalling meeting Shefali for the first time, Vinay shared that she was not experienced, but her innocent, doll-like look made them call her for an audition.
"We discovered her when she was just 19. We were planning to do this album called DJ Doll and had this song Kaanta Laga
He continued, "With no camera experience, we said, okay, let's start the audition. And we were just watching her doing the audition and she was just like a bundle of energy. But the only thing which stuck to us was the innocence of her. It just struck us that we have found our doll. We told her you don't have any camera experience and we would like you to have you to do rehearsals and all."
Vinay also shared an anecdote about Shefali Jariwala attending rehearsals on her birthday, dressed in a pair of white jeans gifted to her by her sister.
Shefali passed away on Friday night. While initial reports point to a cardiac arrest, the exact cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Social and lead image credits: Instagram/shefalijariwala, Viral Bhayani