BCCI did not allow me to strip for Team India: Poonam Pandey

Mumbai: Model Poonam Pandey, who promised to bare all if India won the Cricket World Cup, says she is ready to fulfill her commitment but was denied permission by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Kingfisher calendar model had sent a letter to BCCI asking for permission to strip.

"I had written them a letter seeking permission, but was denied. I felt bad and was hurt when they did not allow me to go bare. They just said BCCI does not give permission for such things," Poonam told PTI. "I am still on with my commitment. If BCCI gives me the permission, I will do it. I am still requesting them. I am asking everyone to go and tell the BCCI on my behalf to allow me so that I can go ahead and fulfill it. I didn`t want to break any law so I sought permission," she added. The 19-year-old said she has no plans to meet the BCCI officials personally to pursue the matter. When asked if being into news for the wrong reasons bother her, Poonam said, "It does not. Personally I don`t think it is a negative publicity. If doing anything for Team India or for the nation is considered negative then what should I say?" The aspiring actress insisted that going bare was her idea of celebrating the victory and not a publicity stunt. "I had made that statement for Team India, I don`t regret it at all. I did not think that it will turn out to be such a big thing and become such a issue. It may be a big question in a country like India. But internationally several models have done this kind of act, so why are people in India are taking it as a big thing?" she wondered. On her family`s reaction, Poonam said, "My family was upset. They were shocked. But when I explained it to them that I have given the statement for team India they understood it." "I believe people have their own ways of perceiving things. If a man removes his T-shirt and walks on road no one will say anything but if a girl does something similar or even says something similar the outcome is not good, which you can see in my case," she said. Poonam, one of the most downloaded models on the internet, also got threat calls after her announcement. "I had to hide as I received many calls threatening me of dire consequences if I bared all. But some people called to say that they are proud of me. I have been getting offers from magazines and calendars to pose in the buff, and also been approached by reality TV show makers," she said. The Mumbai-based model will be participating in the fourth season of `Khatron Ke Khiladi`. PTI