Actor and model is being condemned for the stunt, which has been branded ‘insensitive’ and ‘morally reprehensible’ by her followers and medical professionals
A scandal has erupted in India after it was revealed that Bollywood actor and model Poonam Pandey is still alive after a statement was shared to her Instagram account claiming she had died from cervical cancer.
On Friday 2 February, a post from Pandey’s official account, which has more than 1.3 million followers, said she had died from cervical cancer at the age of 32.
“This morning is a tough one for us,” the statement said.
“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.”
The news was later “confirmed” by Pandey’s team to a number of Indian national news outlets including NDTV and News18, while her manager Nikita Sharma hailed her “unwavering spirit amidst her health struggles” in a statement to the press. The news was reported on by dozens of media outlets, including The Independent.
However, Pandey has now shared a series of posts and videos announcing that she is, in fact, not dead, and that the report was a publicity stunt supposedly intended to raise awareness of cervical cancer screenings.
On Friday 2 February, a post from Pandey’s official account, which has more than 1.3 million followers, said she had died from cervical cancer at the age of 32.
However, Pandey has now shared a series of posts and videos announcing that she is, in fact, not dead, and that the report was a publicity stunt supposedly intended to raise awareness of cervical cancer screenings.
I feel like there was a similar way to achieve the same outcome more respectfully…
For example, highlighting someone the same age who has passed away and then telling people to talk to friends and family in the screening group. Or even just getting the screening done and sharing that with people. It goes a long way when celebrities help out, as long as it’s done properly
Absolutely. She is sacrificing social trust in news and media, along with her own reputation, for a dubious awareness campaign. My guess is the lesson most people will learn from this is not that they should get the HPV vaccine, it’s not to trust media reporting because they have ulterior motives.
How could they have predicted this outcome from such a brilliant plan? Do they not have a human being in the loop somewhere to point out the obvious stupidity of doing something like this?
A Poo idea from the start.
When you are so self absorbed that you can’t see beyond your own publicity stunt.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A scandal has erupted in India after it was revealed that Bollywood actor and model Poonam Pandey is still alive after a statement was shared to her Instagram account claiming she had died from cervical cancer.
However, Pandey has now shared a series of posts and videos announcing that she is, in fact, not dead, and that the report was a publicity stunt supposedly intended to raise awareness of cervical cancer screenings.
In a separate post Pandey, who is originally from Kanpur, northern India, acknowledged the controversy surrounding the stunt, writing: “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.
Pandey cited an Indian government pledge in this week’s Budget to improve uptake for cervical cancer screenings and HPV vaccinations, but claimed she could “say with certainty that only a small fraction would’ve registered it”.
Writing under a shared post by PR company Hauter Fly, doctor and author Tanaya Narendra, who has 1.5 million followers, objected to being cited in one of Pandey’s videos.
Munawar Faruqui, a stand-up comedian and Pandey’s fellow “inmate” on Lock Upp who eventually won the series, tweeted: “Can’t process the news.
The original article contains 1,179 words, the summary contains 214 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
Judging from the fact that this made world news, I have to admit it worked. A single post getting people angry about a fake cancer victim proved far more effective than any ad campaign I have ever seen for health awareness, and zero cost! I guess we only pay attention when we are outraged. Fair play, then.
