Shefali Jariwala became an overnight star after her Kaanta Laga music video caught everyone's fancy across the country in 2002. Those were simpler times, without smartphones and social media.
Despite a relatively less connected world at the time, a rumour started going around which sent TV news channels into a frenzy. That Kaanta Laga girl Shefali Jariwala, who gets a large 'I Love You' tattoo to impress her lover in the music video, had died after she got cancer from the needles.
What's Happening
Shefali Jariwala, who died on June 27 following a cardiac arrest at the age of 42, last year addressed her death hoax in a podcast with her friend and fellow Bigg Boss 13 contestant Paras Chhabra.
During the conversation, Paras Chhabra asked her what was one of the most bizarre things that happened to her after Kaanta Laga became popular.
The actor-model said, "Isne tattoo kiya, isko cancer ho gaya aur woh marr gayi (She died after she got cancer from the tattoo)."
She had said the fake news of her death became "national news".
"News channels called me. Tabki fan following kuch aur hi hoti thi (Fan following at that time used to be on some other level). There was no social media at that time. The landlines kept ringing off hook. Arre Shefali Jariwala marr gayi, arre Shefali Jariwala marr gayi... It was the funniest thing ever," Shefali Jariwala told Paras Chhabra in the podcast, which was released in August 2024.
In A Nutshell
In 2024, Shefali Jariwala -- who was best known as the Kaanta Laga girl and also featured on Bigg Boss 13 -- spoke about the fake news of her death after the music video became popular soon after it was released in 2002. In an appearance on Paras Chhabra's podcast, she said people started believing the rumour that she had died from cancer after she got a tattoo in the music video of Kaanta Laga.
Also Read | NDTV Exclusive: How Shefali Jariwala Became The 'Kaanta Laga Girl', Recounts Co-Director Vinay Sapru