Shefali Jariwala once posed competition to Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, but secret illness stalled career: ‘Suffered epilepsy since 15’

Shefali Jariwala became an overnight sensation at the age of 19–all thanks to her appearance in DJ Doll’s ‘viral’ hit, “Kaanta Laga.” After the song’s success, she was supposed to be the next big thing in Bollywood. She was listed as one of the “breakout stars” in a 2003 radio poll alongside actors Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, and Shahid Kapoor. But the actor chose to stay low key and extremely selective about her projects. The only Bollywood film she ever appeared in was Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan-starrer Mujhse Shaadi Karogi.

Apart from the film, she appeared in the reality shows Nach Baliye and Boogie Woogie. It was only years later when she shared the reason behind her selectiveness. Shefali battled with epilepsy. In a 2020 interview with The Times of India, Shefali shared that due to her illness, she couldn’t take up much work. “I didn’t know when I would get my next seizure… this went on for 15 years.”

ALSO READ | Shefali Jariwala survived abusive marriage with musician Harmeet Singh before finding love in actor Parag Tyagi: ‘Not every kind of violence is physical’

The Kaanta Laga star was first diagnosed with the illness when she was 15. She shared during that time she was under tremendous pressure to do well in her studies. “Stress and anxiety can lead to seizures.” It was her low self-esteem that pulled her back despite all the fame. “I have had seizures in classrooms, backstage, while on roads. It lowered my self-esteem.”

ALSO READ | Shefali Jariwala remembered late Sidharth Shukla in her last social media post, fans say ‘the irony of life’

Shefali Jariwala was rushed to Bellevue Multispeciality Hospital on Friday where she was declared dead on arrival. While the actual cause of death is yet to be revealed, it is reported that she might have suffered a cardiac arrest. Shefali was married to television actor Parag Tyagi for the last 11 years. She met him after her divorce with musician Harmeet Singh in 2009. Parag Tyagi is yet to share an official statement.