Radhika Rao, Vinay Sapru Say No Sequel to ‘Kaanta Laga’ Following Shefali Jariwala’s Passing

‘Kaanta Laga’ Directors Pay Tribute to Shefali Jariwala, Say They Will Never Make a Sequel.

The sudden demise of Shefali Jariwala has left fans and the entertainment industry in mourning. The actor and dancer, best known for her breakout appearance in the iconic 2002 music video Kaanta Laga, passed away on June 27 at the age of 42 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Now, the song’s directors Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru have issued a heartfelt tribute to Shefali, announcing that they are “retiring Kaanta Laga” in her memory.

“It Was Always Yours… It Will Always Be Yours”
In an emotional Instagram post shared on Thursday, the director duo reflected on their journey with Shefali, starting from their first photo session for the Kaanta Laga CD inlay card.

“You always said you wanted to be the one and only Kaanta Laga girl. So we never made a sequel — and we never will,” they wrote.

“We’re retiring Kaanta Laga forever. It was always yours. It will always be yours… Shefali… RIP.”

The directors also recalled discovering Shefali by chance in Bandra, Mumbai over two decades ago.

“We saw a young girl hugging her mother while riding on a scooter. Radhika felt there was something special about her, so we stopped and asked if she’d visit our office. That’s how it all began,” said Vinay Sapru in an earlier interview with ANI.

Final Goodbye
Shefali’s prayer meeting was held earlier this week, attended by family, friends, and several personalities from the film and television industries. Her final rites were conducted last Saturday.

She was rushed to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital by her husband, actor Parag Tyagi, but was declared dead on arrival. A post-mortem was conducted, though the cause of death was marked as “reserved” by Mumbai Police.

Beyond Kaanta Laga
Following her sensational debut, Shefali appeared in the 2004 film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, sharing screen space with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. However, she stepped away from an active film career, partly due to her battle with epilepsy.

Shefali later made a mark on television, participating in popular reality shows like Bigg Boss 13 and Nach Baliye 5 and 7, the latter alongside her husband.