Following the controversial model’s daring publicity stunt to raise awareness against cervical cancer, the All-India Cine Workers’ Association (AIWCA) are demanding an FIR against Poonam Pandey for faking her death for mere publicity. They said that her actions have upset Indians who paid tribute to her following her false announcement.
Poonam Pandey’s PR team had announced her death as part of a risky publicity stunt in order to raise awareness against cervical cancer, which to no-one’s surprise, backfired heavily on the actor-model. She was slammed on the Internet after it was revealed that she was indeed alive.
The association said that strict action should be taken against someone who circulates this type of fake news. They also commented that using cervical cancer for self-promotion is unacceptable, also adding that no one in the film industry ‘stoops this low’ for publicity.
"The fake PR stunt by model and actress Poonam Pandey is highly wrong. Using the guise of cervical cancer for self-promotion is not acceptable. After this news, people may hesitate to believe any death news in the film industry. No one in the industry stoops to such levels for PR. Poonam Pandey's manager had confirmed the false news, so there should be an FIR against Poonam Pandey and her manager to prevent anyone from exploiting their own death news for personal gains (PR). The entire Indian film industry, along with the entire nation, paid tribute (sic)," the cinema worker's body said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The body also sent a letter to the Senior Police Inspector of Vikhroli Police Station Mumbai, asking them to file an FIR against Pandey and her manager. They said in the letter that, “This fake news was created for Publicity stunt by Model and Actress Poonam Pandey which was confirmed by her manager. This fake news had to hurt the sentiments of all Indian who paid tribute to her”. They further asked them to file an FIR against the model and her manager for spreading fake news merely for publicity.
Maharashtra legislator Satyajeet Tambe has also called for action against Poonam Pandey, saying that her stunt takes away from the seriousness of cervical cancer. The fake death announcement was met with vehement criticism from fans and celebrities alike, who called it a ‘deceptive stunt’. Following the announcement, the socials were awash with obituaries for Pandey, whose death later turned out to be a hoax. The actress began her modelling career in 2010 and is known for risque content and outlandish stunt.