Shefali Jariwala, of ‘Kaanta Laga’ fame who became a sensation when she was just 19 years old, has not acted in the past 20 years in a Bollywood film.
Shefali, who has worked with big names in Bollywood like Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan, has been suffering from epilepsy since she was 15 years old. The illness has impacted both her life and career.
A 2002 music video made her a star even before her film was released. Shefali came to be known as the ‘Kaanta Laga’ girl as the song became part of an independent album ‘DJ Doll’.
This paved the way for her film debut, a small role in ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’, where she shared screen space with Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra. However, this 2004 release has been her last Bollywood film.
Health issues take a toll
In an interview in 2020, Shefali had revealed that she had lived with epilepsy ever since she was 15 years old. The illness took a toll on her fledgling career. She had to focus on health and was unable to take up more work.
However, the actress did not give up. She moved to reality shows in 2008, appearing as a contestant on Boogie Woogie and then featured in two seasons of Nach Baliye.
Shefali also did a Kannada film called ‘Hudagaru’ in 2011, her only film release since 2004. In 2018, she played the lead role in her OTT debut ‘Baby Come Naa’, which streamed on Alt Balaji. Shefali’s latest major appearance on TV was in 2019, when she was a contestant on Bigg Boss 13.
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