‘Kanta Laga’ made Shefali Jariwala a name that every household knew. However, she decided to not let the fame get to her head and play it slow. Despite being an overnight sensation, she decided to take it slow and steady.
But with ‘Bigg Boss’ and then subsequently social media, Shefali Jariwala has made a smashing comeback. She is constantly making headways for her fashion and fitness posts on social media and has amassed a massive fan following. Talking to Prateek Sur, the ‘Kanta Laga’ girl opens up about the massive success of the music video, why she moved away, and lots more.
Excerpts from the candid conversation:
What were you feeling after receiving so much love the attention after ‘Kanta Laga’?
Receiving so much love after ‘Kanta Laga’ back then and even today it's very overwhelming. I consider my story nothing short of a fairy tale, like Cinderella.
Is the fandom different in today’s time than it was back then?
It was very different then the fan following, the fandom, the love, and the affection people had to give because there was no social media. I still remember I use to go to events and appearances. There used to be thousands of people there just to get a glimpse of me. Today it's a lot different we are a lot more accessible through social media but the fan following that I had enjoyed was at another level and I’m grateful that I could enjoy it at a time when there was no social media. People would really want to see their favourite artist, and favourite star and would travel from miles together and come for a little glimpse at the airport or at the event. It was a lot of fun. Even today when I travel all over the world people have a lot of love and affection to give and they tell me all the stories about their ‘Kanta Laga’ days and it's really nice to connect with them. Of course, social media has also made me a little more accessible to my fans and followers and I love interacting with them. I love to know their stories. It's just wonderful, the amount of love and support that I have received in all these years.
How different was working in the film industry now than it was when you started in the early 2000s?
I have been in this industry for about 20 years and have seen a massive shift in the way audiences consumed content. Back then a lot of things were taken as taboo and not supposed to be spoken about, not touched, etc. But today there is a large acceptance towards things like that. Back then there were stereotypes also. The term ‘item girl’ was quaint and if you are an item girl you are only there as a tadka, a special song for a film. They didn't think you are eligible to be the heroine and there were not that many roles available for female actors. It was either heroine or the hero's mom, sister or maybe the vamp. Today there has been such a huge shift. Largely because of the OTT platforms, as an actor, you get to experiment a lot. There is just no black and white. There is a lot of grey in the middle which is fun for an actor.
How has your experience been with OTT?
I have been doing more acting today than I did back then. Today I have already shot for 4 web shows this year and all 4 characters are so different. They are performance-oriented things that help me also as an actor. So, I think it's a wonderful time today.
What about social media?
With the rise of social media, there is a lot more accessibility to each other for work. Back then, you were only relying on searching for phone numbers, and finding the one person who knew that person, who knew the actor. So, I think there are a lot more opportunities today for actors and the audiences also are ready to see different kinds of content, and there is a genre for everybody and there is an audience for every genre.
People also say that the film industry has become a lot more organised…
It's a great place to work today also back then it was a little unorganised, I feel. Today because of the studios coming in, it has become a little more systematic and streamlined. So, I think it's a wonderful time to be an actor at the moment.
Was there a taboo back then on married actresses?
Back then if you have to get married it was assumed that you are not going to act anymore. After having kids, forget it, the career is over. But today we see a lot of top actresses now being very comfortable with the idea of getting married and being open about their relationships and nobody is judging them. The stereotypes are also broken. So, I think there is been a great and wonderful change.
You recently made a comeback with ‘Ratri Ke Yatri’. How was the experience to be back in front of the camera?
‘Ratri Ke Yatri’ is not a comeback for me, but yes, it is the first project that I shot for after staying home for 2 years of the pandemic. It was just like the very first time. Two years of sitting at home changed so many things for a lot of us and facing the camera after this break was like facing the camera for the first time even after being in the industry for so long. The first show or the web show that I shot for was in the year 2019. I had already shot 3 shows before I did ‘Ratri Ke Yatri’, but for me, it was like facing the camera for the very first time. I was very nervous and very anxious. On top of that, the character was so difficult. I was very scared. But of course, Anil V Kumar sir was there and it all went on really well. People are liking it so much but I can't ever forget that day when we started shooting for it. I was very very nervous.
