Filmmaker Vinay Sapru, who along with Radhika Rao directed the iconic Kaanta Laga music video that turned Shefali Jariwala into an overnight sensation, has spoken exclusively to ETimes about the late star’s sudden passing and the unforgettable journey they shared.“We came to know about Shefali’s passing away somewhere around the middle of the night, you know, and it was just a message from Divya Khosla, who just messaged and said she’s passed away. And I must say, it was almost an unbelievable situation because 20 days back, we were all sitting in our office and making plans for future and what we are going to be doing. And here this news comes. I must say it was absolutely shocking and unbelievable. It was like a family member, a closest associate family member passing away, you know. And we just couldn’t believe it. It was the most shocking news we could have heard,” Vinay told us. The day they found their ‘DJ Doll’Vinay took us back to the moment Shefali entered their lives. “We discovered her when she was just 19. It was not a work arrangement in a structured manner—it was destiny. We were planning to do this album called DJ Doll and had this song Kaanta Laga. We were looking out for a girl who looks like a doll whose emotional nature, behavior, body line, everything has to be doll-like.We were driving on Linking Road and a scooter came parallel to us with a mother driving and a young girl hugging her. Radhika and I just looked at her and said, ‘I think we’ve just found our girl.’ We stopped them at a signal and asked if she’d be interested. She said she was an engineering student at Bhawan’s College in Andheri and had no experience. But we just told her that much that I think we think that you are the person who just fits the bill. And we just gave her a number and a card and we left and we said, if you’re interested, you can come over for the auditions to our office tomorrow.” From college student to star performerShefali turned up the very next day. “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, and all hands and legs all over the place. But the only thing which stuck to us was the innocence of her. She was blowing these kisses to the camera and just doing those moments which a 19-year-old does in a nightclub. It just struck us that we have found our doll.” Vinay shared how Shefali would attend college in the day and rehearse late into the night. “We told her you don’t have any camera experience and we would like you to have you to do rehearsals and all. She like jumping with joy and she said, yes. And she said, don’t worry about the rehearsals, you’ll not have a complaint. Every day after finishing the college of hers, she used to come religiously and do the rehearsals till late night, go to college next day, come again. From a girl who has never faced the camera to learning each and every professional dance steps, movement, expressions, facial expressions, everything in detail, she was working on and perfecting day after day.” A birthday she never took offAnd it was not an easy journey. The rehearsals went on for over three months, every single day without fail. Whatever little baby fat she had, she worked off with gym sessions and rigorous training, constantly pushing herself to achieve the level of perfection we were aiming for.One anecdote that stayed with Vinay was Shefali’s birthday rehearsal. “It was her birthday, and she had just received a pair of white jeans from her sister. Yet, she showed up for rehearsals wearing them. We asked her why she hadn’t taken the day off—we even said, ‘It’s your birthday, go enjoy it!’ But she smiled and said, ‘No, I want to rehearse and work today because how I spend my birthday sets the tone for the rest of my year.’So we said to her, “But you’re wearing those white jeans—your birthday gift! They’ll get spoiled.” She just smiled and said, “No, no, it’s fine.” And then she went ahead and joined the rehearsals. I still remember—by the end of it, those jeans had mud stains. She was just 19, celebrating her birthday, and her brand-new gift was all patched with mud. Her eyes welled up with tears when she saw them. But she looked at us and said, “I don’t mind. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had—rehearsing, cutting cake with all of you in the hall… it was perfect.”The Japanese doll inspiration
Styling Shefali into the iconic Kaanta Laga girl took time. “It was a journey of grooming and mentoring—a process of shaping a girl who, for us, was like a blank canvas. As directors, the picture we were painting slowly began to take shape, and the transformation was so moving that it felt like watching a young girl grow up within a close-knit family.When it came to her styling, we experimented with all kinds of outfits and hairstyles, but nothing seemed to click. And then we spotted this Japanese doll—it had a very specific hairstyle: a clean slit with sharp braids tied around a two-beat pitch. We asked the hairstylist to try replicating it, and the moment it was done, it just clicked. It was perfect. I remember thinking, why did we look so far and wide when the answer was right in front of us? All we had to do was recreate what already existed—and it fit Shefali like it was made for her.“Three tough days of shooting, and history was made“We were all set to go, and even on set, the schedule was extremely tight—we had just three days to complete the shoot. We would pack up past midnight, sometimes around 2 a.m., only to be back on set by 7 a.m. the next morning. But Shefali was always there, on time, fully present, because the entire song revolved around her. Every frame, every shot was centered on her.She gave it her all—day after day—through a gruelling schedule of dance, performance, and precision, meeting every expectation we had as directors. It truly was a journey of mentoring a young girl we randomly spotted on the road and watching her transform into an icon. She went on to become a national crush almost overnight.The entire country was dancing to this one girl’s energy—a girl who was just studying engineering in college when we discovered her. After three months of intense preparation, the rest became history. Kaanta Laga turned into the most iconic song of its generation. Even today, more than 20 years later, pick up any newspaper or article, and it’s still about the Kaanta Laga girl—Shefali. She’s constantly referred to by that title, and rightly so.
And I truly believe it’s a fitting tribute. I remember her once saying in an interview, “I want to be known forever as the Kaanta Laga girl.” And now, even in the face of such a tragic and untimely passing, her wish lives on. As heartbreaking as it is, every newspaper, every channel, every post says it—Kaanta Laga girl is no more.What can one say? Maybe it’s true—God takes away His favorite children early. Shefali was one of our favorites too. It truly felt like she was sent into our lives for a reason. We were just driving, and there she was—this girl on a scooter riding parallel to us. Who would’ve thought she’d go on to make history in the Indian music industry?She was full of life. Full of dreams. Full of the desire to make something of herself. And she did. She became unforgettable.”A visit just 20 days before her deathVinay also recalled their last meeting. “We had just met 20 days ago, so this news has come as a complete shock. She had come to our office, bringing cakes and pastries from one of those Japanese bakeries she loved. She was so full of life—saying, “I’ve turned 40 now. I’ve had an incredible 20 years, all thanks to where we began back then. And now I’ve come to plan the next 20 with you.She stayed for nearly five hours—we had dinner together and spoke at length. We were making plans: songs we wanted to create, the kind of cinema we wanted to explore, the events we were going to curate. Her live performances had been such a massive success, and we were all set to take that to the next level. Everything was falling into place, and we were just about to begin this exciting new chapter.And now… all we can say is—it must be God’s plan. We are all mortals. Death is inevitable. But to go so young… the only explanation is that you were one of God’s favourites, and He wanted you back with Him sooner than the rest of us.”
‘We’re retiring Kaanta Laga’Vinay ended with a firm decision to preserve Shefali’s legacy. “The only thing we can hold onto now is the memory of the incredible life she lived—those 20 magnificent years that began with Kaanta Laga. From the moment we started that journey together, she breathed life into every thought, every idea, every visual we had as directors. She didn’t just meet our vision—she surpassed it. They say an actor can rise above the script, and that’s exactly what Shefali did.She became the doll we had imagined two decades ago—and that doll went on to capture the hearts of not just India, but Indians across the world. And she will continue to live on in their memories, because that’s what she always wanted—to be remembered.All we can do now is pray for her peace, wherever she may be. We miss you, Shefali. Take care.And as for Kaanta Laga—we won’t make another. Over the years, so many people have asked us to do Kaanta Laga 2 or 3, but we never could. And now, we never will. Just like a cricket team retires a jersey number, we, Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, are retiring Kaanta Laga. It was the first and the last—because it belongs to Shefali. It always did. She wanted to be remembered as the Kaanta Laga girl, and she always will be.God bless you, Shefali. Be happy—wherever you are.”On June 27, Shefali Jariwala died suddenly after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest at the age of 42. She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Preliminary investigations suggest that her death may have been medically triggered rather than involving any foul play.
