Model-turned-actor Poonam Pandey often hits the headlines for her dare-to-bare attitude and continuous controversies. Be it the time she said that she would strip if India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup or the sizzling pictures that she posts on social media, Poonam sure knows how to create buzz. The ‘Nasha’ actress is currently in the news for her stint on Ekta Kapoor’s latest web reality show ‘Lock Upp,’ which is being hosted by Kangana Ranaut.
“I think it’s going to be one of the biggest shows in India,” Poonam told us before being “locked up” inside the jail. “My phone is ringing nonstop. People are telling me, ‘Oh my god, are you actually doing Lock Upp? Aren’t you scared? Kangana ma’am is going to be the host. Something can happen.’ And, I’m like, ‘Yeah but, she is human! She is not a monster, so why I would be scared of her. I hope I pull it off. I hope I get the trophy.”
Poonam, who had accused her ex-husband, Sam Bombay, of assault and molestation, last year, said that she was offered many reality shows from different platforms in the past but she was not in the right frame of mind to accept them at the time because she was going through personal trauma.
“I was going through my own trauma in my life. There were certain things that were personal that were happening. There were a lot of unfortunate things that were happening in my life. I was not able to concentrate on anything in my life. There was a point in my life when I was like, ‘Enough Poonam! Let’s do something big. Let’s show the world what Poonam Pandey is.’ Nobody knows me. People know me through my controversies but they actually don’t know me. People just know me through this World Cup strategy which I did and I didn’t even do it. So, people are also angry and disappointed (laughs). Then more controversies happened and again people were like, ‘Who is this chick?’ So, I want people to know that I have come from a very small family. I have educated myself today and I’m quite proud of the way I am.”
Time and again, Poonam has been subjected to immense trolling on social media for her controversies and her bold personality and the actress said it wasn’t easy for her to deal with it.
“I’m sort of a personality who gets judged every second. I do feel hurt. It does bother me. But what can I say? I’m the one who has given people those options to call me a controversial figure. So, I can’t sit and complain. All I can do is show people the real side of me that I’m not as bad as they think and I’m a normal woman from a normal family. So, I’m grateful for this opportunity that has come my way in the form of Lock Upp. It’s like a blessing,” Poonam said.
Lock Upp is currently streaming on AltBalaji and MX player.
