"Yes, I faked my demise": Poonam Pandey says 'sorry' for stunt, announces she is alive, faces backlash on social media

Mumbai: Amid reports of her demise and frenzied speculations that she might have pulled a stunt, actor and 'Lock Upp' fame Poonam Pandey on Saturday announced that she had 'faked' her death and was alive and well.
Taking to Instagram, Pandey shared a video which she captioned, "I feel compelled to share something significant with you all - I am here, alive. Cervical Cancer didn't claim me."
In another Insta message, Poonam said her stunt was aimed at spreading awareness regarding cervical cancer.
"But tragically, it has claimed the lives of thousands of women who stemmed from a lack of knowledge on how to tackle this disease. 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," her caption further read.
"Let's empower one another with critical awareness and ensure every woman is informed about the steps to take. Visit the link in the bio to delve deeper into what can be done. Together, let's strive to put an end to the devastating impact of the disease and bring #DeathToCervicalCancer," she added.
In a personalised video on Instagram, Pandey said, "I am alive. I didn't die because of cervical cancer. Unfortunately I cannot say that about those hundreds and thousands of women who have lost their lives because of cervical cancer. It is not because they coudn't anything about it because they had no idea what to do about it. I'm here to tell you that unlike other cancers, cervical cancer is preventable. All you have to do is you have to get your tests done and you have to get HPV Vaccine. We can do all this and more to make sure there is no more life lost to this disease."
On Friday, a post was shared on Pandey's official Instagram handle which indicated that the 'Nasha' actor has died of Cervical cancer.
Pandey's media manager Parul Chawla also confirmed the news of the actor's demise.
Soon after Pandey shared the news of her being alive, she faced a lot of backlash on social media.
A user wrote, "Like dude death is a joke? You could have created awareness by multiple ways."
Another user wrote, "Awareness failane ka tarika thoda cazual hai."
"How desperate is that to gain attention," a user commented.
In another video, shared on Instagram, Pandey apologized to her fans for spreading fake news of her being dead due to cervical cancer.
In the video, she said, "I'm sorry I've caused this tear and I'm sorry to those whom I've hurt. My intention? To shock everyone into the conversation that we are not talking enough about. Which is cervical cancer. Yes, I faked my demise. Extreme, I know. But suddenly we all are talking about cervical cancer, aren't we? It's a disease that silently takes your life. And this disease needed the spotlight urgently. I'm proud of what my death news has been able to achieve. And for those who have questions for me, I will see you live on Hot to Fly."
The news has sent shockwaves across the industry.
Pandey is known for her bold photos and videos.She made her acting debut with the film 'Nasha' in 2013.
She also appeared in Kangana Ranaut's reality show 'Lock Upp'.