Bollywood Actress Fakes Her Own Death; Admits Hoax Day After Heartfelt Obituaries Pour In

Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey faked her death to bring awareness to cervical cancer.

On Friday, a text post over a black background was uploaded on Pandey's Instagram page, captioned with praying and heart emojis.

"This morning is a tough one for us. [We are] 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," the text read.

"In this time of grief, we would request for privacy while we remember her fondly for all that we shared."

Poonam's manager, Nikita Sharma, also reportedly told NDTV: "Poonam Pandey, the beloved actress and social media personality, has tragically passed away this morning due to cervical cancer, leaving the entertainment industry in shock and mourning."

"Her unwavering spirit amidst her health struggles was truly remarkable," Sharma added.

The post received over 318,265 hearts and an outpour of heartful obituaries and messages of condolences.

"Life is uncertain. Rest in peace," one comment read.

"This is a very sad news to hear. Rest in peace," wrote another user.

"Oh my God! This is so shocking. Rest in peace, love," said a third netizen.

Meanwhile, others wished the post was not some sort of marketing gimmick or publicity stunt.

"I hope it's not some marketing gimmick [because] it's distasteful. But if it's true, rest in peace," commented one user.

"If this is a marketing campaign, we will be unsubscribing in mass numbers," stated another. 

A day after the announcement of her "death," Pandey, who is not dead, posted a video on Instagram saying that the post was for a cervical cancer awareness campaign called #DeathToCervicalCancer.

"I'm 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," she opened her video.

"It is not because they couldn't do anything about it, [it's] because they had no idea what to do about it. I'm here to tell you that, unlike other cancers, cervical cancer is preventable," she continued.

The actress went on to invite women to have themselves tested and get an HPV vaccine.

She also shared more cervical cancer-related posts shortly after.

"Yes, I faked my demise. Extreme, I know. But suddenly we are all talking about cervical cancer, aren't we?... I'm proud of what my dead news has been able to achieve," Poonam said in another video.  

While she reiterated that what she did was done for a good cause and with good intentions, many netizens were skeptical.

"Cheap publicity stunt!" one commented.

"Find better ways to spread awareness," another wrote.

"This has literally been turned into a joke for the actual cancer survivors. Distasteful," opined someone else.

"Nobody is talking about cervical cancer, but the level to which someone can stoop down to such a cheap publicity stunt and give justification in the name of awareness is insane! Please seek help !!! I am seriously thinking about filing a case against you, death is something sacred, and making fun of it is not acceptable!" stated a fourth user.

Meanwhile, some acknowledged Poonam's good intentions despite her "triggering" stunt.

"The facts and data shown is absolutely on point. Yes, it is a triggering stunt, and I was quite shocked myself when I heard that she's still alive but as a campaign, the campaign did reach its goal," one user wrote.

"I am sure Poonam Pandey was ready and prepped for this backlash but she did fake her death for a cause and now a lot more people know about cervical cancer and that there is in fact a vaccine for it. It's not common knowledge and it should be. It should be as common if not a part of a woman's/girl's early childhood vaccinations. Mixed feelings....but good strat," the user added.