Table of Contents
Introduction
Poonam Pandey, who passed away on Friday, became a popular name on social media and in showbiz as she promised to strip if India brought home the cricket World Cup in 2011. Pandey was last seen in Kangana Ranaut-hosted reality show Lock Upp which was streamed in 2022 on Alt Balaji.
Who was Poonam Pandey?
Born in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Poonam Pandey became a popular name on social media and in showbiz as she promised to strip if India brought home the Cricket World Cup in 2011, beating Pakistan. She could not fulfill her promise due to opposition from various sectors.
In one of her interviews, she shared, “I had 20-25 criminal cases against me. It took me a huge amount of effort to extricate myself from all the trouble. But you know what? It was worth it. That one incident got me more attention than I ever imagined.”
In 2012, Poonam Pandey did it again as she promised to pose naked after Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders won the IPL 5. She posted a nude photo online creating quite a storm. She was trending worldwide on Twitter (now X) after this post.
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Poonam Pandey’s controversies
She continued to stay in the limelight because of her notorious actions. She confessed she “enjoys” her controversies. Her Facebook account was deactivated in 2014 after her ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
In one of her earlier interviews, Pandey also revealed that her parents do not approve of her behavior. She said, “My parents don’t like the way I conduct myself. Though I’ve been brought up in Mumbai, we’re from a conservative Brahmin family. My behavior is quite shocking to my family. They are embarrassed by my image. Every day when I go home after work I wonder if they’ve seen or read something more about me that has upset them. It’s a constant conflict
Poonam Pandey’s films
All her controversies managed to land Poonam her first Bollywood film, Nasha, which was released in 2013. During the film’s release, she admitted, “I achieved whatever I wanted through controversies.” Even the posters of Nasha, where Poonam posed naked with just placards in her hands, created a stir in Mumbai. A few political outfits found the posters ‘vulgar’ and burnt them.
The model-turned-actor struggled to bag her second film after Nasha’s debacle. However, in 2014, she announced that she had signed another film, but it was never released. She made a couple of special appearances in regional films, including the Kannada film Love Is Poison, the Telugu drama Malini & Co., and the Hindi film Aa Gaya Hero.
Pandey was last seen in Kangana Ranaut-hosted reality show Lock Upp which was streamed in 2022 on Alt Balaji.
She said, “I have gone through a lot, made mistakes, got beaten up and now I want to change the world’s opinion about me. I am also a human being, who has emotions and is not filled with just controversy.”
Poonam Pandey’s marriage
Apart from controversies around her work, Poonam Pandey also had to overcome a bad marriage. In 2020, she announced her wedding to businessman Sam Bombay. However, she soon filed a domestic violence case against him, following which they separated. She filed an FIR against Sam for molesting, threatening, and assaulting her.
She said, “Sam and I had an argument, which escalated, and he began hitting me. He choked me and I thought I was going to die. He punched me in my face, pulled me by my hair, and banged my head against the corner of the bed.
Complaint against Raj Kundra
The model actor had also filed a complaint against Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra in February 2020. She accused him of illegally using her content after their contract had expired. Kundra’s company Armsprime Media was responsible for handling her app, The Poonam Pandey App.