- Shefali Jariwala died at 42 on June 27, 2025, due to cardiac arrest at home
- She was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and declared dead on arrival
- She took vitamin C IV drips and anti-ageing treatments, possibly risky while fasting
The cruelest joke life can play is when it ends, that too when no one saw it coming. That's what shook the entertainment industry a year ago, when model and reality-TV star Shefali Jariwala - aka the Kaanta Laga girl - died at just 42 on the night of June 27, 2025. Her death was attributed to cardiac arrest at her residence.
The pattern that often follows the death of a public figure, especially one that comes out of nowhere, is tragic but unsurprising. What happened in Shefali Jariwala's case, however, was unprecedented. From speculative media reports about medical treatments to intrusive public scrutiny, paparazzi being criticised for insensitive coverage, and actor-model, husband Parag Tyagi even suggesting black magic for all that transpired, it was a deeply disturbing spectacle.
A year on, and we are still looking for closure.
The Beginning Of The Unknown
As reports of Shefali Jariwala's death spread, initial information about what happened in those late hours began circulating.
On June 27, 2025, Shefali Jariwala was rushed to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital in suburban Mumbai by Parag Tyagi. She was declared dead on arrival. Initial reports suggested cardiac arrest, but the exact cause remains unconfirmed.
Her final rites were carried out at Mumbai's Oshiwara crematorium on June 28, 2025.
According to the initial medical examination, Shefali's death was said to be "due to low blood pressure, cardiac arrest and heavy gastric condition", as reported by NDTV. The intial postmortem was conducted at Cooper Hospital and recorded on video. Yet no concrete conclusion has emerged.
Everything That Became A Social Media Trend
One of the most startling claims to surface was that she had taken self-administered treatments such as anti-ageing medication and vitamin IV drips.
Her close friend Pooja Ghai revisited Shefali's final moments at home and told a publication, "On that day, she did take the vitamin C IV drip, but it's a very normal thing to take. We all take vitamin C. Post-Covid people have started taking vitamin C regularly. Some people just pop a tablet and some take it through an IV drip. She did take an IV drip on that day."
She added that the police had asked for the person who administered the drip to check what medication was given, and that was when it emerged that Shefali had taken an IV drip that day.
An insider said, "There was a puja at home on June 27, due to which Shefali was fasting. Despite this, she took an injection of anti-ageing medicine in the afternoon of the same day. These medicines were advised to her by a doctor years ago, and since then she has been taking this treatment every month. So far in the police investigation, it has come to light that these medicines could be a major reason for cardiac arrest."
Police and forensic experts reportedly found glutathione (often used for skin lightening and detoxification), Vitamin C injections, and acidity pills at her residence, suggesting risky, unsupervised anti-ageing treatments that may pose heart risks, especially while fasting. A source told NDTV that the actor had been regularly consuming "anti-ageing medicines for the last seven-eight years".
"They do have harmful adverse effects including cardiac conduction abnormalities, arrhythmia, and hypotension. There have been multiple case reports where patients have died after taking those IV detoxifying drips and probably sudden collapse or sudden hypotension was the reason behind those deaths. However, we cannot correlate any sudden cardiac death of a person with a history of having glutathione or detox drips," Dr Rahul Chawla told NDTV.
The coverage highlighted a larger conversation about the pressure on women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards in the glamour world. With Shefali Jariwala's death being linked to beauty treatments, several industry figures spoke about the darker side of their profession and how women can fall victim to it.
Industry Reactions And Social Media Tributes
Shefali Jariwala's death provoked a social media furore that took time to subside. While some expressed sorrow and condolences, others criticised the industry for pushing women to extremes to fight natural ageing. The paparazzi faced heavy backlash for insensitive coverage.
Media crews intruded on the grieving family. A video of Parag Tyagi walking their dog the day after Shefali's death was publicised and criticised as evidence he was "moving on" too soon. Another clip showed Parag pleading with photographers not to turn personal tragedy into public spectacle.
Friends and colleagues - including Paras Chhabra, Himanshi Khurana, Rashami Desai, Tina Datta and Varun Dhawan - took to social media to condemn the photographers' lack of boundaries. Numerous tributes also poured in. Sharing a picture of Shefali, Priyanka Chopra wrote, "So shook. She was too young. Sending condolences to Parag and the family."
In an interview with NDTV, Gul Panag said, "The news of her death was shocking. I'm 46 and she was 42. It's deeply unsettling... We are chasing quick fixes. When I say we, I mean it as a society - of which the media industry tends to be a microcosm. We are chasing quick fixes over resilience."
Mini Mathur, in a conversation with Vickey Lalwani, revealed that such practices are common among celebrities. However, she stressed the importance of relying on such treatments under medical supervision.
Mini Mathur said, “I am not qualified to talk about this. I am not aware of what her reports said, and I do not believe in things that I read on the internet. Until a doctor verifies it, you really do not know what caused her death.”
She added, “Everything you take should be under some kind of medical supervision. No one here is a doctor who knows what kind of reactions anything will have, and it can have a negative effect on you. There is nothing wrong with taking supplements that enhance your health, and there are many people I know who take such supplements like glutathione. For me, medical supervision is paramount.”
Kaanta Laga, which shot Shefali to overnight fame, was a perfect fit. Kaanta Laga's co-directors Vinay Sapru and Radhika Rao spotted her on Mumbai's Linking Road before casting her in the popular remix video, originally from the 1972 film Samadhi.
Vinay Sapru told NDTV that whenever a young celebrity dies, conspiracy theories are bound to spring up. "Whether it is Sushant Singh Rajput or Michael Jackson, people get invested because they are good looking, they're successful, and they died young. That leads to all speculation... I would just ask everybody to drop the speculations. Death is God's decision. We should just honour the memories of that person."
Several Questions, No Answers
Many people were questioned after Shefali's death - from the security guard Shatrughan to household staff and her husband.
The security guard said Shefali was taken to hospital around 10:30 pm and recalled Parag arriving on a motorcycle at about 9 pm. He remembered seeing the couple in the society compound just the evening before.
After she was taken to hospital, police and forensic teams arrived. "The police have been inside since last night. There were two mobile forensic unit vehicles," he had said. "After she was taken to the hospital, a man came on a motorcycle - he seemed like a friend - and informed us that Shefali was no more. We couldn't believe it."
Parag Tyagi was questioned by Mumbai Police about the chronology of events. Shefali's cook and maid were also investigated.
The primary autopsy at Cooper Hospital reportedly ruled out foul play, and authorities filed an Accidental Death Report (ADR). Tissue and viscera samples were sent to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory for chemical analysis to investigate the medication and fasting angle, but the exact cause remained uncertain, stated a Times Of India report.
Parag Tyagi's Battle With Grief
Months after her death, Parag refuted some claims on the YouTube channel Shefali Parag Tyagi. "This is half-baked information. Which of these were anti-ageing medicines? Shefali didn't want to take multivitamins daily as she would forget them, so she took them through IV drip once a month. These included multivitamins, Vitamin C, collagen, and glutathione, which is one of the best antioxidants," he said.
He added that she had eaten after the puja that day and disputed reports that fasting was a factor. "What anti-ageing are people talking about? She didn't look her age because of the hard work behind it. She controlled her diet, but that doesn't mean she deprived herself of everything."
Parag has frequently posted heartfelt tributes and throwback memories on social media. From pictures of their vacations to celebrations at home, he has in many ways kept the love alive despite the unfortunate incident. A month after her death, he put up a social media post with their pet dog Simba, chronicling how missed she was. He had a detailed portrait of Shefali permanently inked on his chest as a tribute on their 15th wedding anniversary.
One year on, the exact cause remains in the shadows while we revisit claims rather than proofs. The family has the right to keep this matter private and in ways, owe it to the peace and dignity Shefali deserved.
The final post-mortem details never came to light, denying fans the closure some seek. Until more is revealed, peace is what the pop icon - and those who loved her - deserve.
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