MUMBAI — Less than six months after Canadian-born social media personality Lil Tay was accused of pulling a "publicity stunt" with a death hoax, Bollywood actress Poonam Pandey is facing severe backlash for faking her own demise due to cervical cancer.

The debacle started when a statement was posted to her official Instagram page last Friday (Feb 2) announcing her death at the age of 33.

The post, which is still accessible, reads: "This morning is a tough one for us. Deeply saddened to inform you that we have lost our beloved Poonam to cervical cancer."

Followers and netizens were rocked by the revelation, expressing grief and disbelief in the comments.

Fellow actress Sweety Walia was among those in shock, writing: "This can't be true, please, just spoke to you on (Jan) 10.

"Please tell me the account is hacked, no way, it can't be true."

But many others were cautiously sceptical, noting that there had been no signs of ill health in her recent posts and "cervical cancer patients don't die suddenly, out of nowhere".

"Last post was a week ago. When was she diagnosed (with) final stage cancer?" asked one Instagram user. "Should have lost a lot of weight and strength. Should have been bedridden.

"Hope this isn't a publicity stunt."

True enough, the model and actress uploaded a video of herself to Instagram the next day revealing that it had indeed been a hoax.

"I'm alive," she tells the camera solemnly. "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."

Ms Pandey then goes on to explain that cervical cancer is preventable, encouraging women to do their detection tests and HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccines.

'WORST PUBLICITY STUNT EVER': NETIZENS

The video was met with outrage from fellow celebrities and netizens alike, who called it the "worst publicity stunt ever" and "very disrespectful to (those) who have actually lost their loved ones due to cervical cancer".

Well-known Bollywood actresses Arti Singh and Bipasha Basu were among those who condemned the stunt, with Ms Singh calling it "disgusting" in an Instagram post of her own.

"This is not awareness," she wrote, sharing how she had lost both of her parents to cancer. "You are playing with everyone's emotions."

In a video response, filmmaker Ashoke Pandit even called for "serious action" to be taken by law enforcement agencies against Ms Pandey and any other parties involved.

"She has insulted the medical fraternity, the patients and government officials who are religiously fighting this dreaded disease," he wrote in his Instagram caption.

Likewise, Indian politician and president of All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) Suresh Shyamlal Gupta stated in a video interview with Indian news agency ANI that he had asked the Mumbai Police Commissioner to file a first information report (FIR) against Ms Pandey and her manager.

"Is this a joke?" he asks in Hindi, in the video posted on X (formerly Twitter). "You stooped so low for cheap publicity. No one has stooped this low in the Bollywood industry."

'PROUD' OF THE IMPACT

However, further Instagram posts by Ms Pandey on her own account and through media platform Hauterrfly showed her to only double down on the hoax.

In one video, she apologises to "those whom (she has) hurt", explaining that her intention was simply "to shock everyone" into having a conversation about cervical cancer.

"Yes, I faked my demise," she says. "Extreme, I know.

"But suddenly we all are talking about cervical cancer, aren't we?

"I'm proud of what my 'dead' news has been able to achieve."

Similarly, a second video by Hauterrfly compiles a series of social media posts, videos and articles about cervical cancer posted since Ms Pandey's death announcement.

In its Instagram caption, the company wrote: "This groundbreaking move has ignited discussions, encouraging us all to prioritise screenings, knowledge and support for those battling this silent adversary."

Marketing agency Schbang, which was behind the campaign, also put out a statement last Sunday extending a "heartfelt apology" to "those who have been triggered as a result of having faced or having a loved one face the hardships of any kind of cancer".

It disclosed that Ms Pandey's mother herself "has bravely battled cancer". Though it is not clear if this is still ongoing, the actress confirmed in a separate video that her mother suffered from throat cancer.

Echoing Ms Pandey's words in an earlier video, the agency then stated that there had been "no change in people's curiosity regarding cervical cancer" when it was mentioned by the Indian government a few days before.

Last Wednesday, two days before Ms Pandey's supposed death, India's Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced in parliament the government's plans to push for cervical cancer vaccination in the country's 2024 interim budget.

In contrast, Schbang wrote: "This act by Poonam has now resulted in making 'cervical cancer' and its related terms the most searched topic(s) on Google.

"This is the first time in the history of this country that the word 'cervical cancer' has been on (more than) 1,000 headlines."

It also shared screenshots of the above claims as well as comments from social media users who applauded the move.

DO THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS?

But despite these statements, netizens have remained unconvinced, calling for others to unfollow and report her account. Many criticised all three parties for being "unethical and irresponsible" and argued that there are better ways to spread awareness.

Since the incident blew up, Hauterrfly and Ms Pandey have collaborated to post several photo carousels about the early signs and prevention of cervical cancer.

"I don't understand," wrote an Instagram user on one such post. "Why couldn't you just make all these posts without faking her death?"

Another camp speculated that Ms Pandey did not actually care about the cancer and was most likely working in collaboration with a pharmaceutical company to promote the HPV vaccine.

Both Ms Pandey and Schbang have stated that the campaign was a pro-bono activity for a good cause and none of the parties were paid for their participation.

Though responses remain mostly negative, there have been positive reactions from social media users who felt that the three parties had achieved their apparent goal of getting the nation to talk about cervical cancer.

Entrepreneur influencer Sorav Jain, for instance, commented on Schbang's post: "While the campaign is controversial, immoral, dirty and extreme, it triggered extreme awareness.

"I understand that this decision wasn't easy. But hats off. You guys achieved purpose — not appreciation."

Whatever the case, it seems Ms Pandey will not be deterred.

As she says in one video: "One celebrity death has got the whole nation talking about cervical cancer, and honestly? That's all I wanted to do."