Poonam Pandey manhandled on New Year's Eve in Bangalore
Mumbai, Jan 8 (IANS): Controversial model Poonam Pandey, who recently made her Bollywood debut with bold film "Nasha", has vowed never to perform at a New Year's Eve celebration after her nightmarish experience in Bangalore while performing at a posh club.
"Never again! Never will I perform at a New Year's Eve celebration. It's much too dangerous," said Poonam.
She describes the incident as her most serious confrontation with male aggression.
"I agreed to perform in Bangalore because the money was too tempting. They offered me a bomb. How was I to know what the evening had in store for me?"
Apparently, 10 minutes into her performance, the all-male crowd got wildly out of control.
"They were all male and they were all drunk. I had 15-20 of my own bouncers and the organisers had provided about a 100 guards. But it wasn't enough," says Poonam who first grabbed attention during the 2011 Cricket World Cup when she offered to go nude before Team India if they won.
As soon as her performance ended, hordes of rowdy male revelers broke the cordon separating the stage from the audience and tried to clamber on to the stage.
"I realised on that evening that no amount of bouncers and bodyguards can protect you from a drunken mob. The men, who jumped on to the stage, had only one thing on their mind. And they were not thinking with their minds. They were thinking with another part of the anatomy," she said.
Poonam did the only thing she could, given the dangerous circumstances. She fled.
"I've never run so fast in my life. I am sure I gave Milkha Singh a run for his money. I ran upstairs all the way to my room. But guess what? The mob chased me to my room! So there I was, running into my room with the mob in hot pursuit and the bodyguards and bouncers chasing them. It'd have been comic if it wasn't so scary," she said.
Not again, she says.
"Believe me, it is just not right. There are only men and they are all drunk. I'd advice all female celebrities to avoid dancing for New Year's celebrations. No amount of money is worth your izzat and your life. I've never been more scared in my life. Never again," she said.