Bollywood actress and model Poonam Pandey is being sued for faking her own death due to cervical cancer in a stunt meant to promote the HPV vaccine for women.

NDTV India reported that an Instagram post on Pandey’s page on Feb. 2 told her fans that she had tragically passed away from cervical cancer. Her team even confirmed her death to the press. Nikitia Sharma, Pandey’s manager, claimed that the star had bravely fought the disease” but had “tragically passed away.”

The next day, the 32-year-old Bollywood star posted a video of herself somehow risen from the dead. She told everyone she was alive and well, explaining that her faked death was meant to raise awareness for the potentially fatal disease.

Her fans were incensed and lit up social media over it. Pandey was slammed for the stunt.

(Video Credit: E! News)

“I’m alive, I didn’t die because of cervical cancer,” Pandey told her 1.3 million followers on Instagram. “Unfortunately, I can’t say that about the hundreds of thousands of women who have lost their lives because of cervical cancer. I’m here to tell you that, unlike other cancers, cervical cancer is preventable, all you have to do is get a test and you have to get HPV vaccine.”

“We can do all this and more to make sure there are no more lives lost to this disease,” she advised.

Pandey then told her fans to log onto poonampandeyisalive.com for information on cervical cancer and the vaccine to prevent it. That website and her Instagram posts that were part of the stunt have been deleted.

“Pandey and her husband Sam Bombay are now being sued for more than $12 million by Faizan Ansari, according to The Times of India. Ansari is an actor and reality TV star,” Fox News reported.

As #PoonamPandey ‘s death drama
faces legal issues.

100Crs defamation or to face up 3 years in jail. pic.twitter.com/0L4mAx8MYA

— Telugubit (@telugubit) February 13, 2024

“The lawsuit alleges Pandey and Bombay orchestrated a ‘false conspiracy of death’ and trivialized serious illnesses like cancers for their own publicity gains,” the media outlet added. “Ansari argues that the couple’s actions betrayed the trust of millions of Indians and also tarnished the reputation of the Bollywood fraternity.”

The suit is demanding that Pandey and her former husband be arrested and forced to appear in court over defamation charges.

It appears the ruse was put in motion due to politics.

“Pandey’s initial death post came a day after India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced plans for a cervical cancer vaccination program for girls aged 9 to 14 as part of her interim budget in 2024, according to NDTV. Cervical cancer arises from the cervix, which is the lower part of the uterus in the female reproductive system,” Fox News wrote.

“Cervical cancer is ranked as the most frequent cancer in women in India, with around 365 million women aged above 15 years of age, who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. The World Health Organization estimates there are 74,000 deaths annually in India, accounting for nearly one-third of the global cervical cancer deaths,” the outlet noted.

Can you really sue for this though? What she did was disgusting but you can’t really sue over this

— Dr. Tua The Turtle, PhD MD (@TuaTurtle) February 16, 2024

Pandey’s fans were definitely not amused by the stunt.

“Am happy she is alive but pls arrest her for this drama and publicity stunt,” wrote one of her top followers on social media according to Fox News.

“Exploiting a serious issue like cervical cancer for cheap publicity is absolutely disgraceful. Using your platform to spread awareness is commendable, but faking your own death is a new low. Respect for real survivors and victims matters more than attention-seeking stunts. #Disappointed,” another chastised the star.

The actress apologized for traumatizing her fans in a second video but didn’t appear remorseful for the hoax.

What in the actual F×××!?!? Fake your death supposedly to raise awareness of a disease. Then shill for the vaccine for the disease that fake killed you. If this is a new marketing trend by BigPharma, it is abhorrent.

— Moytoy | AgentCaye (@AlessaCaye) February 16, 2024

“Yes, I faked my demise. Extreme, I know. But suddenly we all are talking about cervical cancer, aren’t we?” Pandey remarked. “It’s a disease that silently takes a life and this disease needed the spotlight urgently. I am proud of what my death news has been able to achieve.”

“Unlike some other cancers, cervical cancer is entirely preventable,” she contended. “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.”

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