Heading into "Mean Girls," Avantika Vandanapu was bracing for the worst. "I had mentally prepared for everyone to dislike me," she says. So the 19-year-old actress, known simply as Avantika ...

Avantika first gained recognition in 2015 when she participated in the North American edition of the talent show Dance India Dance Lil’ Masters and became the runner-up. Her passion for performing ...