Upasana Konidela questions why fathers are praised for basic parenting duties; says, ‘He’s parenting, not doing anybody a favour’ |

Actor Ram Charan’s wife, businesswoman Upasana Konidela, recently spoke about the unequal expectations placed on mothers and fathers in Indian households. She questioned why fathers are praised for performing basic parenting duties, while mothers are expected to do the same without receiving similar recognition.During the CII Partnership Summit 2026 in Visakhapatnam, Upasana interacted with Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh and spoke about the difference in how society views mothers and fathers sharing parenting responsibilities.“When a father feeds a child or changes the diaper, the mother and everyone is clapping, saying, oh, that’s so nice, you’re such a good father. But when the mother does it, why aren’t they clapping for me? Unless this mindset changes at home, it’ll never change in the boardroom. This is what we really need to work on. It should be part of the curriculum, people’s mindset, people’s changes. The father is not doing anybody a favour. He’s parenting. And I think that’s the most important thing,” she said.

Upasana calls for equal parenting responsibilities

During the interaction, Nara Lokesh spoke about the need to teach children from an early age that managing a household is a shared responsibility. Upasana agreed, stressing that education and parenting must encourage gender equality.She further pointed out that mothers should also avoid treating their sons’ participation in household responsibilities as something extraordinary.“If we have that in our mindset, if we have that in our education, if the children are brought up that way, and sometimes if mothers also don’t make a big deal when their sons do great work, then I think the whole system itself will progress. As a wife also, sometimes I do it. I find it extremely cute when he feeds my children. But now I understand that it’s normal. It’s a normal thing for parents to do,” she added.Upasana is the granddaughter of Dr Prathap C Reddy, the founder and executive chairman of Apollo Hospitals. Meanwhile, Ram Charan, son of Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi, is known for his performances in films such as ‘RRR’, ‘Rangasthalam’ and ‘Magadheera’.

About Ram Charan and Upasana Konidela

Ram Charan and Upasana got engaged in December 2011 and tied the knot in June 2012 at a grand ceremony in Hyderabad. They welcomed their first child, daughter Klin Kaara, in 2023. The couple became parents to twins, a boy and a girl, in January 2026.On the work front, Ram Charan was last seen in the sports action drama ‘Peddi’, co-starring Janhvi Kapoor. He is currently shooting for his upcoming project with director Sukumar, tentatively titled ‘RC17’.