Actress Poonam Pandey, whose "death news" created a stir in the nation on Friday, has now revealed that she is very much alive, and the entire episode was a publicity stunt to create awareness about cervical cancer. She apologised to the people who were saddened by the news and added that she was proud of the fact that the news of her demise got people talking about cervical cancer.
On Friday, a note shared on Poonam's official Instagram handle stated that the actress had died after her battle with cervical cancer. She then went MIA for almost 24 hours and her family members too were unreachable.
After announcing that she was alive on Saturday, Poonam shared another video in which she can be heard saying, "I am sorry to have caused this tear, I am sorry to those who I have hurt. My intention? To shock everyone into the conversation that we are not talking enough about, which is cervical cancer."
She went on to say, "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 am proud of what my death news has been able to achieve," she concluded.
Sharing with her fans that she was alive, Poonam penned a note which read, "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 urged women to take the vaccination against cervical cancer and inform the people around them to create maximum awareness, and to ensure that no woman loses her life to the disease.
After news about Poonam's death went viral, several celebs, including Pooja Bhatt, Kangana Ranaut, Munawar Faruqui and others had extended their heartfelt condolences.
