Shefali Jariwala Was Always A Daddy's Girl, From Kaanta Laga Days To His Battle With Cancer

Shefali Zariwala was only 19 when she featured in the Kaanta Laga remix video. Like any other father, her father Satish Jariwala, too, didn't want her to step into the world of glamour, modelling at a tender age. Shefali wanted to pursue her dream. So her father set a condition. The obedient girl listened to it. 

Years ago, Shefali Zariwala AKA the Kaanta Laga Girl told in an interview with Dainik Bhaskar that her father wanted her to finish the studies before she took up the music video assignment. Coming from a traditional Gujarati family, academics was given the first and foremost priority. Shefali revealed it was only after she promised to finish her studies, her father let her take up the music video.

Shefali earned a degree in Computer Engineering from Sardar Patel Engineering College and even became an IT professional. However,  balancing studies and career was not always an easy task, she said later.

During the same interview, she thanked her parents for insisting her on completing studies. The discipline, she said, later helped her to shape her life. 

Shefali was an out-and-out family person. Her Instagram posts screamed love, togetherness and family bonding. A couple of months ago, Shefali shared a fun picture with her father in which they can be seen making a splash in a swimming pool. She captioned the picture, "My forever-Valentine, My Dad!"

On a Father's Day, Shefali shared throwback pictures with her father, who's a Stage 3 colon cancer survivor. She shared a picture featuring herself, father and her sister Shivani. The carousel post also features Shefali's adorable childhood pictures with her father. 

The caption read, "To my dad who taught me the game of life and how to play it right. To my father, who has always been there for me and guided me to find happiness in life. Happy father's day, Papa! I love you."

Shefali always stood by her father during his battle with colon cancer. After Poonam Panday made a hoax of her death to spread awareness against cancer, Shefali wrote a strong note slamming her move. She also revealed her father's cancer battle and that's why she was very sensitive about such posts.

An excerpt from her post read, "Deeply saddened and hurt how some people can use CANCER for publicity. I can't believe how insensitive people are. I don't know Poonam Pandey at all, but the fake drama of her demise to cervical cancer deeply affected me."

"...The last few months have been difficult as my father has been undergoing treatment for Colon Cancer - stage 3. Not being able to sleep all of last night and being anxious as f*#k makes me so angry. In the name of creating awareness pls stop playing with people's emotions! Creating awareness on a SM platform is one thing but faking your own death is so low... This is not a joke... cancer is not a joke!" she added.

Shefali shared another famjam video where the whole family assembled to celebrate her birthday. 

Shefali also shared a cordial bond with her mother Sunita Zariwala. On different occasions, the mother-daughter duo posed for happy pictures.

Shefali shared a picture featuring herself, her mother and her nieces (Shivani's children). She captioned the picture, "3 generations in this pic...Mom with me & bachchas..."

Wishing her mom Happy Mother's Day, Shefali wrote, "Everything I learned about being awesome, I learned from my mom...Happy Mother's Day."

Shefali Zariwala died on June 27. She was 42. She died reportedly after suffering a cardiac arrest. The post-mortem report is awaited. However, initial reports suggested she could have died out of cardiac arrest, low blood pressure, and gastric complications, with police not ruling out the impact of self-medication and anti-ageing treatments.

Shefali Zariwala became an overnight sensation after featuring in the Kaanta Laga remix video. She later participated in reality shows like Nach Baliye 5 and Nach Baliye 7 and Bigg Boss 13.