Shefali Jariwala as soon as rivalled Priyanka Chopra, then had no work in years: How epilepsy ruined Kaanta Laga lady's profession

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Jun 28, 2025 11:47 AM IST

Shefali Jariwala grew to become an in a single day sensation at 19 with Kaanta Laga, however didn’t take up a lot work after that attributable to her battle with epilepsy.

It was 2002, and the period of track remixes was about to succeed in its zenith. There had been the stray profitable remixes from DJ Aqeel, however the development had not but hit its peak. It did that yr, and the flagbearer was DJ Doll’s ‘viral’ hit, Kaanta Laga. Part of the track’s success was its smoking music video, that includes a 19-year-old Shefali Jariwala. The actor, who died on Friday aged 42, was meant to be the subsequent massive factor in showbiz, however a secret sickness derailed that promising profession.

Shefali Jariwala grew to become an in a single day star with the success of Kaanta Laga in 2002.

Kaanta Laga’s success catapulted Shefali Jariwala to in a single day stardom. Interestingly, a radio ballot in 2003 listed her as considered one of ‘breakout stars’ of the yr, alongside names like Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, and Shahid Kapoor, all of whom began their movie careers that yr. Clearly, that track made Shefali as common as many Bollywood A-listers. It led to a movie debut – a cameo look in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, during which she shared display screen house with Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, and Priyanka Chopra.

But after that was a interval of lull. Shefali didn’t work in one other Hindi movie all through her complete profession. Her solely different big-screen look was in a 2011 Kannada movie titled Hudugaru. Even on TV, her solely appearances have been on actuality reveals like Nach Baliye and Boogie Woogie. Her solely two appearing roles on the small display screen have been within the 2018 internet collection Baby Come Naa and the 2024 TV present Shaitani Rasmein.

Shefali Jariwala’s battle with epilepsy

The motive behind this selectiveness was her fixed battle with epilepsy. In a 2020 interview with the Times of India, Shefali revealed, “After I did Kaanta Laga, individuals requested me why I didn’t do extra work. I can now say that it was due to the epileptic seizures that I couldn’t take up a lot work. I didn’t know after I would get my subsequent seizure… this went on for 15 years.”

Shefali revealed that she was first recognized with the sickness when she was an adolescent and battled it for the subsequent decade and a half. “I had an epileptic seizure on the age of 15. I do not forget that at the moment, I used to be below great stress to do nicely in my research. Stress and anxiousness can result in seizures. It’s interrelated, you can get a seizure attributable to melancholy and vice versa,” she stated, including, “I’ve had seizures in lecture rooms, backstage, whereas on roads, and someplace that lowered my vanity.”

Shefali Jariwala’s demise

On Friday night time, Shefali confirmed discomfort at her Andheri house, following which she was rushed to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital by her husband, Parag Tyagi. However, medical doctors reportedly declared her useless upon arrival.

Even because the Mumbai Police has confirmed the information of her demise, the reason for Shefali’s demise stays unclear. As per ANI, some sources counsel that she could have suffered a cardiac arrest. Her household has but to situation an official assertion concerning the circumstances of her passing.