OTTplay Changemakers Awards 2023: Sireesha Bhagavatula wins ‘Breakthrough Playback Singer of the Year’ title

Sireesha Bhagavatula - who became an internet sensation overnight for lending her voice to the popular song Ghodey Pe Sawaar from the Anvita Dutt Guptan directorial Qala, alongside Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya - has won the ‘Breakthrough Playback Singer of the Year’ title at the prestigious OTTplay Changemakers Awards 2023 tonight. The award was presented by Anil Dua, Chief Revenue Officer, HT Media. The glittery award ceremony - which took place at JW Marriott (Juhu), Mumbai - was attended by the who’s who of the Indian film fraternity. Before taking up music as a full-time career, engineering gold medallist Sireesha used to work as an IT firm employee. 

It is said that Sireesha started taking part in shows and singing competitions from a very tender age. Her love for singing also brought her the opportunity to meet legendary singers and composers like the late SP Balasubrahmanyam and Bappi Lahiri. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, the singer made her playback singing debut in 2019 with AR Rahman’s composition Maathare from the movie Bigil. She continued working with the maestro for numbers like Sye from PS-I, Yalo Yedu Sundara from Cobra. Sireesha has also lent her voice to many Hindi, Tamil and Telugu tracks, including Saakini Daakini’s song Kadile Kadile.

Streaming on Netflix, Qala is a psychological drama film starring Tripti Dimri, Babil Khan and Swastika Mukherjee. It’s the story of a promising singer, who is dealing with her troubled past, the mounting pressure of success and a scornful mother. 

The ‘OTTplay Changemakers Awards 2023’ intend to honour and celebrate the groundbreakers and trendsetters of the entertainment industry. With Indian cinema on the cusp of remarkable transitions, it’s pertinent to honour and boost the confidence of those young minds that are bringing about the change. It’s the first edition of the awards ceremony.