‘There can be no other Kaanta Laga girl’

It has been a while since the audience saw dancer-actor Shefali Jariwala, who shot to fame with the 2002 controversial song Kaanta Laga. While she participated in the celebrity dance show Nach Baliye in 2015, her last film was Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004).

“Yes, it has been a while. Stage shows keep me very busy. Dancing has always been my comfort zone. But after a point, it got monotonous. I felt the need to grow as an artist. Naturally, acting was the next step. It was tough as I was more confident on stage, but I had to overcome this. So, I took my time to prepare,” states Shefali, who feels there can never be another ‘Kaanta Laga’ girl. She got the epithet after starring in the music video.

“I believe every actor is trying to create an identity for himself or herself. My first song did that for me. There can be no other ‘Kaanta Laga’ girl... ever. And I love that,” says Shefali.

On her life after the song, she shares, “My life has been nothing short of a fairy tale. For a girl coming from a simple middle class family, earning so much recognition after the first stint is like finding Prince Charming. I love every bit of it.”

She is back with more bold content, this time a comedy web series, that also features actors Shreyas Talpade, Kiku Sharda and Chunky Panday.

Back then, a lot of people criticised her for the bold dance moves. She feels that the audience is more open today. “They’re more accepting towards bold content. But there’ll always be some people who will find things vulgar. We can’t change that. We live in a free country,” she adds.

Stage shows keep me very busy. Dancing has always been my comfort zone. But after a point, it got monotonous. I felt the need to grow as an artist.

SHEFALI JARIWALA DANCERACTOR