Kangana Ranaut, Mandira criticise Poonam Pandey’s ‘pathetic publicity stunt’

Several celebrities, including Kangana Ranaut, Bipasha Basu, Mandira Bedi, Mini Mathur have criticised actor-model Poonam Pandey’s reappearance on social media a day after her team claimed that she died from cervical cancer. Poonam Pandey’s team had on Friday shared the news of her death from the disease but she posted her videos on Saturday declaring that she is “alive”. (Also Read | Poonam Pandey faking her death did more harm than good: 5 reasons why)
On Saturday, celebrities furiously slammed Poonam for faking her death and demeaning an important cause. On X, Vivek Agnihotri posted Poonam’s video and wrote, “Actually, it was a marketing campaign for @thehauterrfly. Watch the end and the logo on right upper corner. How sinister, how pathetic.” Reacting to the post, Kangana Ranaut wrote, “Agree.”
Taking to her Instagram, Arti Singh shared Poonam’s photo and wrote, “Disgusting… this is not awareness. I lost my mother when I was born coz of cancer. I lost my father coz of cancer…Just not acceptable: you are playing with everyone’s emotions. Shame and it’s shocking that people can stoop down to this level…”
Reacting to the post, Bipasha Basu said, “Beyond pathetic behaviour. The PR people behind this should be ashamed too… not just this person.” Tahira Kashyap wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Witnessed the lowest of lows today. Oscillating emotions between being triggered, angry, shocked and disbelief. What are we becoming? How important is breaking news ? At what cost? So put off by the cheap publicity stunt. Not naming just because the person doesn’t deserve any importance whatsoever.”
A post shared by Arti singh sharma (@artisingh5)
Mini Mathur shared on her Instagram Stories, “This Poonam Pandey cervial cancer stunt is not just distasteful, tone deaf and insensitive… it also bases itself on zero research on the subject. Not to take away from the lack of awareness around it but a mere Google search will tell you that there are 8 stages to cervical cancer and an average of 5-10 year gestation period for it to reach its advanced stage.”
She also added, “Shame on you Poonam Pandey. And shame on the team who thought up this sickening farce of a ‘campaign’. Social media and influencers have dumbed down the discourse around absolutely everything. Anyone can be anything by mere projection and posturing. No body of work or qualification needed. This is a new low.”
Mini further wrote, “Brands and campaigns need to choose their ambassadors carefully. Who you want to represent your cause, your campaign is as important. Poonam Pandey may have seen this as an opportunity to be relevant again. But the campaign team… you picked HER for HPV vaccine awareness? Really? Because she is an icon for women in this country? Her loss will feel personal for all of us? Hard relate?…”
Mandira Bedi, too wrote on her Instagram Stories, “That idiotic woman should not be given more attention than she already has got. But this was the most pathetic, cheap and deplorable publicity stunt. Even in the pitiful world of ‘any publicity is good publicity’.. this doesn’t make the cut. She doesn’t strike me as someone who was doing this for the ’cause’ of anything, but herself. She should be boycotted. #sickening Cancel the lowlife.”
Gulshan Devaiah wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “’Merko kal sey hi doubt tha (I had a doubt since yesterday) and I told you so’ is my zone currently but somehow it’s not as fun as this zone usually is for my ego.” Reacting to his tweet, a person said, “Doubt to sabko tha but kya karein, benefit of doubt dena padta h (Everyone had doubt but we have to give the benefit of doubt). He responded, “When in doubt, keep quiet and don’t write obituaries.”
A post shared by Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit1)
He also wrote, “Lymphosarcoma of the intestine awareness was pioneered by Rajesh Khanna and of course he was pretending to die .. hell, he wasn’t even Anand .. it was all a movie … a nice movie though… I cried in the end.” Ashoke Pandit posted a video on Instagram. Slamming Poonam, he said, “A case should be filed against her for speaking lies to the nation, people of the industry, who really were very sad yesterday. For no rhyme or reason she mocked their emotions. There has to be an end to this kind of mockery, PR exercise…”
He wrote, “I condemn the fake news spread by an actress about her death due to cervical cancer. She has insulted the medical fraternity, the patients and Govt. officials who are religiously fighting this dreaded disease. She has mocked the emotions of the common man who expressed their condolences.”
“Serious action should be taken by the law enforcing agencies against her and her colleagues who were a part of this ‘campaign’ so that it’s not repeated again. Nobody has the right to play with the honesty and dignity of people’s emotions,” he concluded. While several people thought it was the fact, some people were sceptical about the news.
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