Sona Mohapatra Draws Flak For Kaanta Laga Reference After Shefali Jariwala’s Death

Sona Mohapatra faced backlash after posting about the Kaanta Laga remix directors, Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, shortly after Shefali Jariwala’s sudden death. 

Shefali Jariwala passed away on June 27 from cardiac arrest at her Andheri home.

Source : Instagram (sonamohapatra/shefalijariwala)

Singer Sona Mohapatra faced backlash after posting on Instagram Stories about the Kaanta Laga remix directors, Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, shortly after Shefali Jariwala’s sudden death. 

Sona Mohapatra gets slammed over comments about Shefali Jariwala

Sona Mohapatra wrote, “3 legends created Kaanta Laga. Composer, lyricist, and singer: RD Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Lata Mangeshkar.”

In the same post, she criticised the music-video team for using Shefali’s death for publicity, calling it, “This utterly misplaced ‘retirement’ by people calling themselves ‘makers’ to get some PR out of a death nothing less (Viral B is a paid site largely).” The timing and tone triggered criticism, with many accusing her of insensitivity.

Reddit users responded strongly to Sona’s post. One comment read, “Being jealous with a dead person is a new low I saw today.”

The omission of Shefali’s name drew particular ire—one user criticised Sona for referring to her as a mere “42-year-old lady.”

Critics pointed out Sona’s own history of remix vocals—like Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar. One Reddit comment noted, “KABHI AAR KABHI PAAR (ft Deepal Shaw) remix version was sung by Sona Mohapatra. How is that video… any different than Kaanta Laga? What is this hypocrisy, madam?” This resurfaced accusations of double standards.

About Shefali Jariwala

Shefali passed away on June 27 from cardiac arrest at her Andheri home. She rose to fame in 2002 as the “Kaanta Laga girl” and later appeared in reality shows like Bigg Boss and Nach Baliye. She was 42. Following her death, her husband Parag Tyagi posted a loving tribute, and family and friends gathered for her funeral.