Shefali Jariwala, best known as the Kaanta Laga girl, passed away at the age of 42 on June 27 in Mumbai. She reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to a hospital by her husband, Parag Tyagi. She was declared dead on arrival. A post-mortem was later conducted at the hospital.

Rising to fame in 2002 with the music video Kaanta Laga, she later appeared in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and participated in reality shows like Bigg Boss 13 and Nach Baliye 5. Known for her candour, she had also spoken openly about battling epilepsy and mental health issues.

Mika Singh, who had worked with Shefali in the music video Hoton Pe Bas, said, “Life is so unpredictable. I knew this beautiful soul for over 25 years. We did countless shows together, crossed paths at many events, yet never truly got the chance to work closely. Then in 2020, Shefali called me and said, ‘Let’s do a song.’ We finally made it happen. Now I sit here thinking, I wish we had done more. Spent more time and made more memories. This has made me realize life is short and we must keep in touch with our loved ones… because sometimes, we don’t get a second chance.”

Shefali appeared in the TV show Shaitani Rasmein last year. Her co-actor Surbhi Shukla said, “I’m still finding it hard to believe she’s gone. On set, she was always cheerful and down-to-earth. At the same time, she was very hardworking, often quietly sitting in a corner, going over her lines with full dedication. She was fit, committed and full of life. She was very kind, warm and a great co-actor. What I remember most is her at our 50-episode celebration — dancing, singing, and laughing. That happy image is what stays with me now.”

I had known her for 15 years — we had performed together at a few live shows. She supported me during Bigg Boss. The last time we spoke was a year ago. We had even discussed collaborating on a song. She was a kind-hearted and fun-loving soul. Her absence will be deeply felt.

Earlier in an interview with us, Shefali had spoken about her plans to adopt a child. However, post the pandemic, she had said, “I have lost too many close ones in this period, which has made me realize that life is fragile. I am scared to become a parent now, but Parag is ready. I believe you should bring home your baby only when you are ready and confident. I have just taken a step back and will wait until I feel confident to take that step in life.”

– Inputs by Neha Maheshwri and Onkar Kulkarni

It was perhaps their work in the Kartik Aaryan-fronted film Satyaprem Ki Katha that the Meet Bros believed paved the way for their first collaboration with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We worked on Gujarati tracks in the film, and perhaps that’s what they liked. They reached out for a Gujarati number to Punjabi composers, and that speaks volumes about the fact that our PM supports individuals regardless of their religion, creed, caste, or colour,” says Manmeet Singh of the duo, adding that they had to work on strict deadlines to bring Maadi to life.

“We were told to attempt it only if we could do so within four hours. We cracked the composition within one hour and sent it over. While there were changes, they loved the composition and said that it was precisely what they were looking for,” says Manmeet.

The Navratri track that has been penned by Modi, says Harmeet, appeared to have been written by a professional lyricist. “It was perfectly structured. His talent bowled us over. We always wanted to work on a garba track, which is like a prayer to Mata. In Gujarati, maadi means ma. The song speaks of how important her blessings are. We celebrate her inner beauty.”

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Composer duo Manmeet Singh and Harmeet Singh, known as Meet Bros, are happy about the growth of indie music in India. They feel that musicians are no longer just dependent on films. “Independent music has become very big. Today, in the top-20 music lists, we have at least 12 indie songs. Ab humara music filmon ka mohtaaj nahin hai,” says Manmeet, adding, “Achha gaana chalega hi chalega.”

However, the composers feel today, it is tough to get hits on the scale of their songs Baby Doll (Ragini MMS; 2014) and Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan (Roy; 2015). “There is so much oversupply that listeners are confused! That’s the reason we don’t have legendary songs [anymore], and numbers come and fizzle out quickly... And, in this scenario when our song Dil Galti Kar Baitha Hai (sung by Jubin Nautiyal) achieves 440 million views, then it’s a big achievement.”

Harmeet points out that regional music market, too, has witnessed a boom. “Earlier, 70-80% of our music was related to films. Now, over 50% of it is independent and regional music,” he shares.

So, what’s next for Meet Bros? They share plans to lend their voice to songs, besides focusing on their music academy and making it a pan-India endeavour.

Ask them if they have a preference between composing and performing live, and Harmeet says, “Dil ka bachcha live shows se khush hota hai, but we get professional satisfaction from composing. Both give us a different high.”