Avantika Vandanapu is an American actress and model of Indian origin who came to the limelight for her portrayal of Karen Shetty in the 2024 teen comedy film “Mean Girls,” starring Angourie Rice and Reneé Rapp. She began her career when she was 11 years old, playing the role of Babu’s cousin in the 2016 Telugu-language film, Brahmotsavam, starring Mahesh Babu and Kajal Aggarwal. As a child actress, she guest-starred in a handful of movies before taking on the role of Rhea Kumar in the Disney film, Spin. Her acting credits include Boomika, Senior Year, Horrorscope, and A Crown of Wishes. So, who is Avantika Vandanapu? Here’s everything we know about the Mean Girls actor.
Avantika Vandanapu Biography
Avantika Vandanapu was born on 25th Janauary 2005, in San Francisco, California, United States of America. As of 2024, she is 19 years old.
| Birth Name | Avantika Vandanapu |
| Nickname | Avantika |
| Date of Birth | January 25, 2005 |
| Age | 19 years old |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Place of Birth | San Francisco, California, U.S |
| Ethnicity | Telugu (Indian) |
| Profession | Actress, Dancer, Model, Singer |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Hindusim |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Family and Early Life
She was born to an Indian family of Telugu descent in the United States. Her parents are Srikanth Vandanapu and Anupama Reddy Chintala. Her parents, both Telugus, immigrated to the United States for work and settled in San Francisco, California.
Avantika attended Challenger School and Granada Hills Charter High School, graduating in 2022. She is pursuing her bachelor of arts degree at Columbia University. She also attended the American Conservatory Theater, where she honed her acting skills.
Body Statistics
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches or 173 cm |
| Body Build | Slim |
| Hair Color | Dark Brown |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Sexuality | Straight |
Career
Avantika got into showbiz as a dancer by winning several national and international awards, She finished first runner-up in the dance reality show Dance India Dance Lil Masters. She began dancing at the age of five and is trained in multiple dance forms including Jazz, Ballet, Bollywood, Kathak, and Kuchipudi/Bharata Natyam.
In 2015, she booked two Telugu-language movies, and her first film Brahmotsavam was released in 2016. In the film, she was cast as Mahesh Babu‘s cousin, starring alongside Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha, and Pranitha Subhash. Though the film didn’t do well at the box office, she was lauded for her performance. In 2016, she had three releases, including the remake of the 2015 Malayalam film, Premam. She played the younger version of Sindu (Madonna Sebastian) alongside the likes of Naga Chaitanya, Shruti Haasan, and Anupama Parameswaran.
Her breakout came in 2021 when she took on the role of Rhea Kumar opposite Meera Syal and Abhay Deol in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Spin. She made a bigger splash in 2024, with a role in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Mean Girls and the remake of the 2004 movie of the same name. Starring Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Christopher Briney, and Jaquel Spivey, Avantika received critical acclaim and became a sensation overnight.
Trivia
Avantika Vandanapu voiced Sareena Tapoor in Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures and Kamala in Mira, Royal Detective, both are Disney movies.
She is the founding director of Versamo Entertainment.
She has appeared in more than 50 commercials.
Avantika plays the lead role of Princess Gauri in the Disney+ series Crown of Wishes. She is also the executive producer of the series.
She has over 535k followers on Instagram.