According to news reports, actor Shefali Jariwala died on June 27, 2025 after a cardiac arrest. While tributes poured in from fans and the industry alike, there was one line that echoed across headlines: “Kaanta Laga girl no more.” A woman with a career spanning reality shows, films, and stage performances is reduced to a three-minute music video from 2002. This isn’t just about Shefali. It’s about how Bollywood relentlessly typecasts its women, rarely letting them be more than their breakout moment.

The curse of “iconic roles”

You’d think being iconic was a good thing. However, in Bollywood, when a woman plays a character that sticks, it tends to stick like gum on the sole. Shefali Jariwala’s Kaanta Laga was a cultural reset. The low-rise jeans, the rebellious energy, the confident dance — it redefined sexy for a new generation. But two decades later, her entire legacy is still flattened into “the Kaanta Laga girl.”

But Shefali Jariwala was a lot more than one song. She was also seen in Bigg Boss 13, participated in dance shows like Nach Baliye, acted in short films, and maintained a strong stage presence. But public memory, aided by lazy media and industry stereotypes, refused to let her evolve. This is a recurring pattern with women in Indian cinema.

Even the most powerful women in Bollywood have had to fight typecasting. Priyanka Chopra once revealed that people warned her against doing Aitraaz, a role many now consider one of her boldest performances. Why? Because she played the antagonist. Apparently, choosing ambition over sanskaar is a career risk for women.

And it doesn’t stop at playing villains. Kriti Sanon, who earned acclaim for her role in Mimi as a surrogate mother, said people questioned her decision. “You’re the heroine, why would you want to play a mother?” she was told. Heaven forbid an actor shows range.

 

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It’s telling, isn’t it? That a woman playing a mother is seen as career suicide, while men continue to romance 20-somethings well into their 50s with zero consequence.

The Bollywood box: Love interest, Vamp, or item girl

The industry continues to offer women only a handful of boxes: the “girl-next-door,” the “item girl,” the “vamp,” or the “sacrificial maa.” Step outside of those, and the risk is career stagnation or total erasure. We praise range in male actors: think of Ayushmann Khurrana’s experimental roles or Ranveer Singh’s versatility. But when women attempt the same, it’s labelled as “risky,” “too early,” or worse, “image-damaging.”

Shefali Jariwala’s story is important because it shows how the industry and we, the audience, refuse to see women as evolving artists. We love to freeze them in time, frame them in one role, and leave no space for reinvention.

We need to remember Shefali for more than her bold song because being a woman in Bollywood shouldn’t mean having to play safe for the rest of your life.

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Related: Women Of Indian Cinema: Why Is Bollywood Going Back In Time?