Poonam Pandey Fakes Death to Spread Cancer Awareness
Poonam Pandey Faces Backlash for Alleged Fake Death Stunt to Raise Cervical Cancer Awareness.
The controversial queen Poonam Pandey is in the news once again because of her ‘unique’ way of ‘spreading awareness’ about cervical cancer. On 2nd February 2024, a post stating that Poonam had passed away from cervical cancer was posted on her social media accounts. Poonam’s PR team confirmed that Poonam’s sister had called and said that she had died. Poonam’s manager Parul Chawla told the reporter that the actor was diagnosed with the last stage of cervical cancer sometime back. There were even reports of her funeral being planned in Kanpur. Many news channels & media companies tried to find more detail about Poonam’s health issues, death, and funeral from her family, friends & PR team but nothing relevant could be established. Some news channels even reached her house but there was no one there. In an interview, Poonam’s bodyguard, Ameen Khan mentioned that he last met Poonam on 29th January 2024 and that she had never mentioned her illness to him or any of her staff. Prominent Bollywood & TV celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Rakhi Sawant, Munawar Faruqui, Helly Shah and Pooja Bhatt etc. expressed their shock, grief, and condolences. However, it turned out to be a stunt, and Poonam is very much alive and in excellent health. On the 3rd February 2024 Poonam posted a video claiming that she is alive and the declaration of her death was fake to spread awareness about the growing cervical cancer cases. Poonam said “I'm sorry I've caused this fear and I'm sorry to those whom I've hurt. My intention? To shock everyone into the conversation that we are not talking enough about, which is cervical cancer. Yes, I faked my demise, extreme I know. But suddenly, we all are talking about cervical cancer, aren't we? It's a disease that silently takes your life. And this disease needed the spotlight urgently. I'm proud of what my death news has been able to achieve.” in the video. This unconventional way of raising awareness about a fatal disease surprised and disappointed people. The video received comments like "Next time people won't take you seriously, you just destroyed your entire credibility.", "This was the most ridiculous way to promote something...", "Damm THIS WAS A STUNT. it’s okay she wanted to make awareness, but well broke so many hearts with this STUNT!" Many celebrities also condemned Poonam's death hoax on social media handles calling it the ‘worst publicity stunt ever.’ Many memes and funny reels were generated & went viral on social media too. Poonam issued a statement against the backlash on social media that said “I understand that the recent news of my supposed demise due to cervical cancer has taken a minute to digest and I appreciate the warmth and concern that the world has extended in the last 24 hours. This unexpected turn of events, albeit startling, serves a greater purpose.” All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) President Suresh Shyamlal Gupta called the act as a play with the sentiments of people & patients and said that Poonam has stooped new low for cheap publicity. The organization has also requested Mumbai Police Commissioner to register an FIR against Poonam Pandey and her manager. Was Poonam Pandey's way of spreading awareness about cervical cancer right?
