A day after Poonam Pandey was declared dead by her team on her official Instagram handle, the actor-model took to social media to say she “faked her death to increase conversation around cervical cancer.”
On Friday, February 02, 2024, a post on Poonam’s official handle said, “This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer.” News reports cited confirmation of her death from her manager.
On February 03, 2024, Poonam posted two videos on her Instagram page, saying she is sorry for “causing hysteria.” “I am sorry I caused hurt. My intention? To shock everyone into the conversation we aren’t having enough. Which is cervical cancer. Yes, I faked my death. Extreme, I know, but suddenly we all are talking about cervical cancer,” she said.
The actor has launched a website, titled poonampandeyislive.com, aimed at increasing awareness about the disease. “I didn’t die because of cervical cancer. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about thousands of women who lost their lives because of cervical cancer. They had no idea what to do about it,” she said in another video.
The news of Poonam’s demise yesterday shocked people on social media, with many even suspecting it to be a dubious incident.
Post her revelation, many criticised the actor, calling her act a publicity stunt.
Poonam made her feature film debut with Nasha, an erotic drama that released in 2013. She made cameo appearances in films such as Love Is Poison (Kannada) and Aa Gaya Hero (Hindi). The actress also headlined the Telugu movie Malini & Co and The Journey of Karma.
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She was also part of the television reality competition series Lock Upp. The show was hosted by actress Kangana Ranaut.