Hyderabad women take the front stage

The city of Hyderabad could not be proud more as two most celebrated women won the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award 2019. Upasana Kamineni Konidela, head of Apollo Foundation and the wife of Mega Power Star Ram Charan won prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award for her contribution as a Philanthropist of the year.

Upasana Kamineni Konidela is the granddaughter of Dr Pratap C Reddy, the co-founder of Apollo Hospital. She is the eldest daughter of Anil and Shobana Kamineni, who are into the business of infrastructure, leisure and healthcare.

On winning the excellence award, Upasana Kamineni Konidela, said, "I am thankful for those who supported me. It is an honour to receive an award of such stature. I will keep doing the hard work and contribute to the society in all possible means. "

Fashion designer Anushree Reddy, who is a hit among brides, won Designer of the year award. Anushree launched her eponymous label in the year 2010. She draws inspiration from vintage styles, floral patterns, that combines beautifully with zardozi embroidery from Hyderabad. Every year, she manages to surprise the world with effeminate collections and is known to enhance the looks of many Bollywood celebrities like Athiya Shetty, Tapsee Pannu and Amrita Rao, amongst others.

Designer Anushree Reddy said,"I have not studied fashion and I am a self-taught designer. I always listen to my heart and do what I love and that I guess makes me stand apart from others. Receiving the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award makes me feel proud."

The award ceremony was an evening of glitz and glamour with a galaxy of stars from Bollywood, Indian television and music fraternity walking down the red carpet. Organised at Mukesh Patel Auditorium in Juhu, Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Awards 2019 recognised some of the best performances and talents of 2018.