Entrepreneur Upasana Kamineni Konidela, known as the wife of actor Ram Charan, has strongly defended her decision to freeze her eggs, sparking a nationwide dialogue on women’s reproductive autonomy and career ambitions. Responding to online criticism, Upasana used her X (formerly Twitter) platform to assert that her choice is a fundamental right, not an indicator of privilege.
She welcomed the ‘healthy debate’ her comments have initiated and thanked her audience for their measured responses. Upasana plans to delve deeper into the complexities of societal privilege and its impact. She also provided resources to help others form informed opinions and appealed to employers to actively recruit and retain women in the professional sphere.
Upasana challenged conventional societal pressures, questioning why women are judged for marrying for love, delaying childbirth, or prioritizing their careers over early family life. She advocates for women’s freedom to define their own life paths and timelines.
She detailed her personal experience, stating she married at 27 after finding love and companionship. At 29, she made the decision to freeze her eggs, a step she openly discusses to empower other women. She later welcomed her first child at 36 and is now expecting twins at the age of 39. Upasana highlighted her commitment to nurturing both her career and her marriage, recognizing the importance of a supportive environment for family. She concluded by asserting that a fulfilling life includes both career and marriage, and crucially, she controls the timing of these milestones, calling it her ‘right.’
This public stance follows her earlier remarks at an event in Hyderabad, where she advocated for egg freezing as a critical ‘insurance policy’ for women, granting them control over when to marry and have children, especially when financially independent. Ram Charan and Upasana, who married in 2012, became parents to a daughter in 2023 and are reportedly expecting twins, as announced during the recent Diwali festivities.