Mumbai: Model-actor Poonam Pandey, who recently shocked the nation by announcing her death from cervical cancer on social media, is now facing a defamation case and an FIR for her controversial stunt. The 32-year-old, who later revealed that she was alive and had faked her death to raise awareness about the disease, has been accused of trivializing a serious health issue and betraying the trust of millions of fans and followers.
According to Pinkvilla, a Rs 100 crore defamation case has been filed against Pandey and her former husband Sam Bombay by Faizan Ansari, a social activist and cancer survivor. Ansari claimed that Pandey’s death hoax was an insult to the people who are suffering from or have lost their lives to cervical cancer. He also urged the authorities to arrest the couple for their irresponsible and insensitive act.
Ansari has also lodged an FIR with the Kanpur Police Commissioner, alleging that Pandey and Bombay conspired to stage her death for personal publicity and fame. “Poonam Pandey and her husband Sam Bombay conspired to stage her death, making a mockery of a serious illness like cancer. Poonam Pandey orchestrated this stunt for her publicity, betraying the trust of millions of Indians and the entire Bollywood industry,” the FIR read.
Pandey’s death news was posted on her official Instagram handle on February 2, which read: “This morning is a tough one for us. 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 post was followed by a flurry of obituaries from media outlets and condolences from Bollywood celebrities, including Kangana Ranaut, Rakhi Sawant, Munawar Faruqui, Helly Shah and Pooja Bhatt. However, some of them also expressed doubts about the authenticity of the news and speculated that it could be a publicity stunt or a case of hacking.
A day later, Pandey came out with a video statement on Instagram, confirming that she was alive and well. She said that she had faked her death to draw attention to the issue of cervical cancer, which affects millions of women in India and around the world. She claimed that she was proud of what her death news had been able to achieve and urged people to get themselves screened and vaccinated for the disease.
However, her explanation did not go down well with many people, who slammed her for her deceptive and manipulative stunt. They accused her of playing with the emotions of her fans and followers and making a joke about a serious health crisis. Some of them also demanded an apology from her for her attention-seeking behavior.
The All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) also condemned Pandey’s death hoax and demanded an FIR against her and her manager. The cinema body said that her actions were “highly wrong” and “unacceptable” and called for legal action against her. They said that no one in the film industry stoops to such levels and that Pandey had tarnished the image of the industry and the country.
