Indian actress and model Poonam Pandey has confirmed she is not dead and an Instagram message saying she was aimed to raise awareness of cervical cancer.
The 32-year-old posted a message on Friday (February 2) saying the star had “lost her battle” and called privacy in “this time of grief”.
But on Saturday (February 3), she posted an Instagram video of herself showing she was very much alive. Since then, Pandey has posted several cervical cancer promotions on her social media platform.
Her decision to fake her death has attracted a social media backlash, with some people claiming she had betrayed trust and made light of the disease.
A top comment under the initial post read: “I hope this is not a publicity stunt disguised as creating awareness for cervical cancer, which would be unethical and irresponsible, especially when dealing with sensitive issues like health awareness.”
After Pandey posted she was alive, one person said: “Am happy she is alive but please arrest her for this drama and publicity stunt.”
Another added: “Next time people won't take you seriously, you just destroyed your entire credibility.”
However, Pandey has no regrets about her bizarre stunt.
Her post on Saturday read: “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.”
Pandey said marketing agencies Schbang and Hauterfly backed the campaign. The former apologised on social media to “those who have been triggered”.
Pandey made her acting debut in the 2013 Bollywood film Nasha. However, she has gained as much of a reputation for her social media influence. For example, she did not fulfil a promise to strip naked if India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Justifying her latest social media stunt, Pandey said she was keen to highlight a cancer that kills 77,000 people every year in India. This makes it the second most common type of cancer in women.
“I implore you to consider the greater cause,” she wrote. “The sheer lack of awareness has compelled me to take this unconventional step.”
