Actor Poonam Pandey.
Credit: Instagram/poonampandeyreal
Poonam Pandey, the model-turned-actor, is alive and well, she announced in a video message on Saturday.
"I am here, alive. Cervical cancer didn’t claim me," Poonam Pandey said a day after the news of her death from the disease dominated the news cycle and led to intense debate on social media.
"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," she said, adding, "Unlike some other cancers, Cervical Cancer is entirely preventable. The key lies in the HPV vaccine and early detection tests. We have the means to ensure no one loses their life to this disease. Let’s empower one another with critical awareness and ensure every woman is informed about the steps to take."
She went on to apologise for 'hurting' people with the news of her death. The news of her "supposed demise due to Cervical cancer" serves a "greater purpose", Pandey added.
"While I do understand how you would have perceived this in bad taste, I also implore you to consider the greater cause. Before passing judgement on the act, I urge you to recognise the alarming concern burdening women worldwide. The sheer lack of awareness surrounding this issue was the mere reason that compelled me to take this unconventional step," she said.
Pandey appears to have tied up with hauterrfly, a 'platform for women', owned by the Mumbai-based Fork Media Group. The page, which tied up with Pandey, to spread the message, also hosts the site www.poonampandeyisalive.com, which opens with the message 'Death to cervical cancer' and then goes on to speak about the disease.
Yesterday, Pandey's team had put out the news of her 'death' in an Instagram post, though there was speculation about whether it was true or not, given no earlier signs of cervical cancer and the fact that her family was reportedly unreachable.
The entire exercise was to raise awareness and start a conversation around cervical cancer, Poonam Pandey noted.
When contacted for the confirmation of the death, the actor's publicist said she died in her hometown but was not forthcoming with details about her battle with the disease as well as when and where she passed away.
The news of her 'death' from cervical cancer came just after Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during the Interim Budget that the Narendra Modi government intended to promote awareness about the deadly condition.
The post on her Instagram page on Friday read, "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," the statement read.
The doubts began soon after with several Instagram followers saying the news could well be fake because she was last seen only three days ago in Goa and frequently before that as well.
Later in the day, PR agency Picture N Kraft released a statement, saying, "This is to place on record that we have received a call from her family member this morning regarding her sudden demise (as posted on her official Insta id). We are waiting for further information."
Her death was condoled by her Lock Upp co-contestant Faruqui and host Kangana Ranaut.
Pandey is not new to such publicity stunts. She hit the headlines in 2011 by declaring that she would strip if India won the cricket World Cup.
In November 2020, she and her husband were arrested for shooting an objectionable video and allegedly trespassing on government property in Goa. Before that, in May 2020, she was booked for violating Covid norms in Mumbai.
Pandey, recently, had jumped onto the bandwagon and announced that she would not be shooting in the Maldives any further, amid the row that had erupted between the island nation and India.
Pandey, who made her Bollywood debut in 2013 with Nasha, also featured in little known films such as Love Poison, Malini & Co and Aa Gaya Hero. She also participated in two popular reality shows, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 4 in 2011 and Lock Upp in 2022.
Cervical cancer is the second most common in women in India and makes up for close to 18 per cent of the new cancer cases, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO's cancer agency.
(With PTI inputs)