Avantika Vandanapu, also known as Avantika, is an American actress born on January 25, 2005. She has acted in movies in Indian languages like Telugu and Tamil. In 2021, she was in the Disney Channel movie Spin, and in 2022, she starred in the comedy Senior Year. Avantika stood second in a Zee TV dance show called Dance India Dance Lil Masters North America. In 2024, she played Karen Shetty in Mean Girls.
She was born in San Francisco, California, to an Indian Telugu family. Her family is originally from Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Avantika learned drama at the American Conservatory Theater.
Avantika started her career by winning second place in Dance India Dance Lil Masters in 2014. She entered Telugu cinema in 2015, starring in movies like Brahmotsavam and Manamantha. In 2021, she played Rhea Kumar in the Disney Channel movie Spin, which got positive reviews. In 2024, she portrayed Karen Shetty in the Mean Girls movie adaptation.
She will also be part of the movie Horrorscope and will headline the Disney+ series A Crown of Wishes, based on a 1992 novel. Avantika currently lives in New York City and attends Columbia University.