Pooja Bedi found herself under fire from Twitter users after she shared a post about not spending life "caged and masked for years in fear of" COVID-19. The actress, on Wednesday, posted a video of herself and her fiance Maneck Contractor riding a speedboat in Goa, where the duo currently live. In her post on Twitter, Pooja Bedi wrote: "Joys of living in healthy, happy #goa. Free your mind #NoFear. Life is meant to be lived... not spent caged and masked for a year/years in fear of a virus that's clearly not going away! If you died tomorrow after year of masking/lockdown... what would your greatest regret be?" Her caption didn't go down well with netizens did not go down well with netizens, who called her out for spreading misinformation about the pandemic on social media. However, the actress replied to a few users justifying her post. India is currently in an intense grip of a second wave of the deadly COVID-19.
In another one of her Instagram posts on Wednesday, Pooja Bedi had written about "suffocating masks." See her post here:
When, reacting to Pooja Bedi's tweet, a user wrote: "People are dying of COVID-19 complications every day. Check your privilege. God bless you," the actress replied: "What privilege? Beaches are available and accessible to every individual irrespective of what you consider privilege... We have a large coastline in India. It's only your state of mind (fearful or positive) that makes you avail the 'privilege'." In a subsequent tweet, user asked Pooja Bedi to not use her "privilege" for treatment if she ever tests positive for COVID-19, the actress wrote: "If I got covid.. I would do steam inhalation.. gargle with salt water... rest... eat herbs and drink lots of kaada. Think positive thoughts and be happy that while I didn't have covid I LIVED. And if I die of covid, well I'm happy I LIVED FREELY and was not stuck in a cage for a year."
Responding to the backlash she received for not following necessary precautionary steps, Pooja Bedi wrote: "They only know what they have been conventionally taught."
Pooja Bedi was also called out for her "lack of reality check," reacting to which she wrote: "You can sneer and be as cynical as you wish! The fact remains that people have had their lives and livelihoods snatched from them thanks 2 lockdown. The stress, lack of exercise, lack of social life, lack of outdoors, livelihood challenges have LOWERED their immunity put them MORE at risk."
Other users also criticised Pooja Bedi for not taking the pandemic lightly. They dropped comments like "Just please be mindful of how your actions will be copied by others" and "being positive is desirable. Ridiculing masks is not!"
Last year, Pooja Bedi complained about the quarantine facility in Goa, after which was called out on social media. Here's how the actress reacted to the backlash.
Pooja Bedi was previously married to Farhan Furniturewala. She has two children - daughter Alaya Furniturewalla, who is also an actress, and son Omar - with her ex-husband. The actress in known for her performance in Aamir Khan's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.