NEW DELHI: Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey has sent shockwaves across social media after faking her own demise as a publicity stunt. The ill-conceived move, masquerading as a tragic event, was unveiled in a series of Instagram posts, leaving the public questioning the appropriateness of such a stunt, especially on the sensitive topic of cervical cancer.
The incident unfolds against the backdrop of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s recent announcement in the interim Budget 2024, highlighting the government’s focus on cervical cancer vaccination for girls aged 9 to 14.
On Friday, Pandey’s team shrared a note on instagram stating, “This morning is a tough one for us. 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.”
However, earlier on Saturday, in a video shared on Instagram, Pandey confessed to orchestrating her death hoax with the intention of bringing attention to cervical cancer. She stated, “I feel compelled to share something significant with you all – I am here, alive.
Watch the video here:
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.” Pandey went on to advocate for awareness, emphasising the preventability of cervical cancer through HPV vaccines and early detection tests.
However, the public’s response to this revelation has been overwhelmingly negative. Netizens criticised Pandey for using such an extreme and insensitive method for publicity. Comments flooded her social media, with one user stating, “Next time people won’t take you seriously; you just destroyed your entire credibility.”
He got a chance to be in limelight after 15 years & Poonam Pandey ate his publicity in 18 minutes 🤣 pic.twitter.com/093krJILMS
— Amock (@Politics_2022_) February 3, 2024
Micro-blogging site ‘X’ erupted with sarcastic remarks, with one user humorously commenting, “BREAKING: #PoonamPandey to die again as people are not happy with her ‘I am alive’ news.” Another tweet sarcastically comparing it with the news of LK Advani being conferred the Bharat Ratna read, “He got a chance to be in the limelight after 15 years, and Poonam Pandey ate his publicity in 18 minutes.”
BREAKING: #PoonamPandey to die again as people are not happy with her “I am alive” news. pic.twitter.com/qdlQlC6WlH
— The Fauxy (@the_fauxy) February 3, 2024
The backlash continued, with one Instagram user expressing disdain, “Kaam aisa kro ki 4 log 4 janam tk gaali de ” and another stating, “You are soooo thirsty for fame. We all know what you did. Stop trying to cover it up; you are just embarrassing yourself.” Another user commented, “such fu**arama”.
