Actress-Model Poonam Pandey who yesterday faked her death news, to get public attention for spreading "critical awareness" about cervical cancer, gathers criticism from celebrities for pulling off the stunt on Saturday, after she shared a video on her Instagram account, quoting, "I'm alive".
In the video, Pandey said, "I feel compelled to share something significant with you all - I am here, alive. Cervical cancer didn’t claim me, but tragically, it has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease... Together, let’s strive to put an end to the devastating impact of the disease and bring #DeathToCervicalCancer.”
Replying to Poonam's video, Mandira Bedi commented, “Absolutely Pathetic. The lengths people will go to for publicity.”
Designer Saisha Shinde reacting to the video, posted, “Totally disgusted! I called you my friend! You don’t deserve to be my friend! You called this awareness? Shut the f*** up! My mom has had a double mastectomy and she has battled cancer! My sister has had kidney failure and she’s passed away, my aunt died of mental illness and unlike you, they can never come back! Death is not a joke! Death is not a publicity stunt! It’s an actual non quantifiable fact! Shame on you Poonam Pandey, you played with our emotions! And I will never forgive you for this! Never! What has the world come to? Who are these people?”
Singer Rahul Vaidya who previously wrote “Am I the only one who thinks Poonam Pandey is not dead”, after hearing the news, stated, “And I was right!! Now that Poonam is alive, I can surely say RIP PR/ marketing. New low of creating a sensational/viral campaign .. welcome to kalyug.”
Singer Sophie Choudry, commented, “This is the most disgusting publicity campaign, and incredibly disrespectful to those who have lost loved ones to cervical cancer.”
Kusha Kapila said, “Here is an agency behind this. Someone actually came up with an idea and also greenlit it I cannot.”
Riddhi Dogra added, “I don’t blame her or the PR Team. They thought of the idea and knew it'd be crazy. I blame the media and journalists who have reported an Insta post as news without fact checking, they have taken an oath to tell the truth. But it seems the oath’s meaning has changed to ‘sell people anything with screams and antics and they’ll buy it coz they’re stupid.”
Siddhant Kapoor commented, “Faking your own death for publicity should be a punishable crime. Disgusting.”
In a follow-up video, Pandey apologised for the stunt but said she wanted to spread awareness about the disease.
"I am sorry I caused this tear and I am sorry to those I have hurt. My intention: to shock everyone into the conversation that we are not talking enough about cervical cancer," Poonam said, adding the fake news though served a great purpose.
"While I do understand how you would have perceived this in bad taste, I also implore you to consider the greater cause. Before passing judgment on the act, I urge you to recognise the alarming concern burdening women worldwide. The sheer lack of awareness surrounding this issue was the mere reason that compelled me to take this unconventional step," she said.
The news of her death also came a day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the government's plans to focus on vaccination against cervical cancer for girls aged 9 to 14 as part of her interim Budget 2024.
"Just the day before, the Union Budget highlighted the cause as well but I can say with certainty that only a small fraction would've registered it. It's intriguing how such vital information was at the forefront yet failed to capture the press attention until the narrative took a dramatic turn with the news of my death to Cervical cancer," Pandey said and deemed her intervention "necessary".
On Friday, the actor's team made the shock announcement on Instagram that Pandey, a model, influencer and sometime actor known for her bold statements and appearances, had died of cervical cancer.
When contacted for the confirmation of the death, the actor's publicist said she died in her hometown but was not forthcoming with details about her battle with the disease as well as when and where she passed away.
Pandey is not new to such publicity stunts. She hit the headlines in 2011 by declaring that she would strip if India won the cricket World Cup.
The post on her Instagram page on Friday read, "Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer.
Every living form that ever came in contact with her was met with pure love and kindness."
"In this time of grief, we would request for privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared," the statement read.
The doubts began soon after with several Instagram followers saying the news could well be fake because she was last seen only three days ago in Goa and frequently before that as well.
Some also questioned the timing of Later in the day, PR agency Picture N Kraft released a statement, saying, "This is to place on record that we have received a call from her family member this morning regarding her sudden demise (as posted on her official Insta id). We are waiting for further information." Her death was condoled by her "Lock Upp" co-contestant Faruqui and host Kangana Ranaut too.
Pandey, who made her Bollywood debut in 2013 with "Nasha", also featured in little-known films such as "Love Poison", "Malini & Co" and "Aa Gaya Hero". She also participated in two popular reality shows, "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 4" in 2011 and "Lock Upp" in 2022.
Cervical cancer is the second most common in women in India and makes up for close to 18 per cent of new cancer cases, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO's cancer agency.
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