Music video director and filmmaker Vinay Sapru is still trying to come up with the sudden death of Shefali Jariwala, the face of the prestigious music video ‘Kata Laga’, which he directed two decades ago. In a special conversation with India today, Vinay opened about Sheffly’s discovery, increased to his immediate fame, and made his death irreparable zero.

Shefali Jariwala died on June 28 at the age of 42, allegedly due to cardiac arrest. His death has shocked the industry and those who knew him closely, including Vinay, who not only started his career, but remained one of his closest masters and friends.

Vinay recalled the moment he heard the news. “Around midnight, I received a message and I could not believe it. It was like a bad dream for me and Radhika (Rao). For us, it was not just a professional bond, it was a 20 -year -long journey. In our Indian tradition, it was like a ‘sheesh’. It is a heartbreaking.”

Recalling how he discovered Sheffly, Vinay said, “Radhika and I were driving on the road, Bandra in Mumbai, and a scooter parallel to us. Mother was riding it, and the young girl was hugging her from behind. They just put us in the past. We stopped them, gave him a visiting card, and invited him to audition.

The spontaneous encounter will go to define the pop culture in the early 2000s, in which the striking screen appearance in Shefali’s ‘Kanta Laga’ made it a national sensation overnight.

“She came from a very good family, was engineering, and had no background in acting or dance,” Vinay shared. “She worked hard every day after college, to rehearse with us. I remember once, during rehearsal, she wore brand-new white jeans, her sister gifted her for her birthday. She did not want to remember the practice and ended her. She had tears in her eyes, but she was not her dedication.”

Vinay also credited him for shaping the visual identity of the song. “We could not crack her hairstyle, until we styled her after a Japanese doll that belonged to my daughter. It became part of her unforgettable form.”

Despite fame, Vinay said that Shefley was on the ground. “She never expressed disappointment about never doing much work. She was always cheerful, well out, and so positive. Somebody once asked her what she wanted to remember, and she said, ‘A good person.’ That was this exactly.

He shared that Sheffly was planning the next stage of his life. “She was in our office only 20 days ago. She brought cookies from her favorite Japanese bakery for the entire team. She told me, ‘Earlier 20 years were very good, now plan the next 20.’ He had so much energy and a lot of thoughts.

Asked about social media speculation, Shefali’s death was asked about linking with anti-aging drug, Vinay strongly replied, “These are just rumors. She was a health eccentric, very disciplined, always in the gym. Like many people, he followed diet and used a plant-based supplement.

If Vinay found him for someone who had never met him, it would be, “he was a bundle of energy. There was no dull moment around him. He was the most happy and best soul.”

As he scrolled with floods with tribute through social media, Vinay confessed, “I can still hear his voice, his laughter. I saw her as a girl on the road, who changed her destiny. It was a defined moment, and for 22 years, those memories never left us. And they will never.”

The postmortem report is still waiting after the sudden death of Sheffly Jariwala. Meanwhile, the actor was cremated at Oshiwara crematorium in Mumbai on Saturday.