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Indian actress fakes death to cancer - 26th February 2024

An Indian actress has courted controversy after faking her own death via Instagram. The public were taken in, believing the influencer had succumbed to cervical cancer, which credible news outlets were quick to announce as the cause of death.

Later claiming the media stunt was to shine a light on the disease, Poonam Pandey stated, “Suddenly we all are talking about cervical cancer, aren’t we︖”

This statement drew criticism from those who instead viewed her actions as an exercise in self-promotion and money-making.

The second most common type of cancer among women in India, cervical cancer claims 77,000 lives in the country each year and is referred to as a ‘silent killer’ due to a lack of noticeable symptoms in its initial stages. Nevertheless, a vaccine against the HPV virus (human papillomavirus), the vector for the vast majority of cases, is highly effective at preventing the disease.

Pandey’s stunt coincided with a new state initiative to vaccinate all girls aged from 9 to 14. Therefore, speculation’s grown that the Indian government had some hand in the actress’s publicity campaign.

While some endorsed Pandey’s strategy for its effectiveness, others were left outraged by the thoughtlessness of the approach. It’s resulted in an outpouring of feelings on both sides of the debate from family members of those directly affected by the illness.

The 32 year old celebrity’s no stranger to a media controversy, having previously declared that she’d strip naked should the Indian cricket team prove themselves by winning the 2011 world cup. The backlash was such that she didn’t follow through with her promise.

On this occasion, other parties have also come under fire, with journalists a target for neglecting to check their sources thoroughly. The Mumbai based PR firm Schbang, which collaborates with Pandey, found itself not only forced into making an apology, but also taking a major financial hit since US client, pharma company Merck Sharp and Dohme, felt compelled to part ways with the agency.

As an increased number of people have consulted Google in a bid to become better informed, many are left wondering whether such tactics should ever be tolerated.