Starting her career in Tollywood and reaching new heights by starring in the 2024 reboot of Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, actor Avantika Vandanapu has had quite a journey. Her debut film was the 2016 Telugu movie Brahmotsavam, alongside Mahesh Babu. In an interview with 123 Telugu, she reminisced about her experience working with the star and shared her aspirations for future collaborations.
‘It was a dream come true’
In her conversation with the portal, Avantika expressed her admiration for Mahesh, stating, “Having my first opportunity in Tollywood with Mahesh was nothing short of a dream come true.” Reflecting on her experience as a child artiste in India, particularly in her mother tongue, she acknowledged how it helped her gain comfort in pursuing a career in entertainment from a young age. In the film, Avantika portrayed Mahesh’s young cousin.
‘I would love to work in India’
Avantika also shared her aspirations regarding the directors she hopes to collaborate with in both Tollywood and Bollywood. She expressed, “I would love to work with Rajamouli, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Sekhar Kammula, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra.” She emphasized their ability to portray women in their films as powerful, graceful, and artful, expressing her desire to embody one of the characters they create.

Upcoming work
“Mean Girls” premiered on January 9 in the US, featuring Avantika as Karen Shetty, a nod to Karen Smith from the original 2004 film. The cast included Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, and Christopher Briney in lead roles. The movie draws inspiration not only from Tina Fey’s original film but also from the book “Queen Bees and Wannabes” by Rosalind Wiseman.
The Indian release of the film is pending. Additionally, Avantika has completed filming for a horror movie titled “Tarot,” awaiting release, along with a Prime Video show called “BGDC.”