Upasna was born in Downers Grove, Illinois and lived in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. When she was 18 years old, she began writing for Rookie Mag publishing narrative essays on topics such as Indian identity, imposter syndrome, self-harm, and grief. She also had a video column with Rookie called Upasna Asks.

Her first work of fiction, "Comedic Timing," released in January 2025 with 831 Stories.