Upasana Konidela on backlash over egg freezing comment: ‘Not privilege, it's my right’

Upasana Kamineni Konidela, entrepreneur and actor Ram Charan's wife, has received huge backlash after she shared her opinion on freezing eggs to young girls at an event at IIT Hyderabad. While her comments were more for women’s empowerment and their decision on when to do what in their life as she spoke about financial independence, what triggered a social media debate was her words on egg freezing.

Several netizens, including doctors, called out Upasana, saying that she's tone-deaf as they pointed out the privileged background that she comes from.

Upasana Konidela breaks silence, reacts to backlash

Hours after the controversy broke over her comments, Upasana shared an official statement, hitting back at the netizens who have been slamming the entrepreneur.

Writing that she's happy to have sparked a healthy debate, she went on to talk about the pleasures/pressures of privilege. She asked social media users to check her statement, which is also a fact-check on her career and personal life.

In the statement shared, Upasana, who is currently pregnant, questioned women’s rights to do whatever they choose.

“Is it wrong for a woman to marry for love instead of giving in to societal pressure? Is it wrong for her to wait until she finds the right partner? Is it wrong for a woman to choose when she wants to have children based on her own circumstances? Is it wrong for a woman to set her goals and focus on her career rather than only thinking of marriage or having children early? she wrote in the statement.

Fact check: Not 23, was 27 when I got married: Upasana

After Upasana's comment went viral, several netizens pointed out that she got married to actor Ram Charan when she was 23. However, the actress corrected saying that she was 27 when she got married and had her eggs freezed when she was 29.

Revealing that she's now pregnant with twins at 39, she wrote,“Fact check. I married for love and companionship at 27 – a choice I made on my own terms. At 29, I decided to freeze me eggs for personal and health reasons, something I’ve always spoken about openly to encourage other women to explore their options (for the record it wasn’t at Apollo). I welcomed my first child at 36 and am now expecting twins at 39.”

In an event in Hyderabad IIT, Upasana shared her views on egg freezing, which garnered a massive backlash. Read full story here: