Mumbai, March 22 (IANS): Indian-American actress Avantika Vandanapu, who is known for her role in 'Mean Girls', said she would love to be part of Indian cinema as she has grown up watching films such as Shah Rukh Khan-starrers ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ (DDLJ) and ‘Veer Zaara’.

Avantika, who will be seen in the Hindi series ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’, shared: "It's truly surreal to come full circle and return to India, from my roots as a child actor to now leading a Hindi series like 'Big Girls Don't Cry'. This homecoming feels like a dream come true.”

“Since my childhood I have been watching Yash Chopra films like ‘Chandni’, ‘Veer Zaara’, ‘DDLJ’, ‘Darr’, among many others... and fell in love with Indian cinema and developed that desire to work in Bollywood films. I love the colour, emotions and cheerful Indian movies and cannot wait to be a part of them.”

Avantika, who was born to an Indian, Telugu-speaking family, made her mark in several Hollywood projects, including ‘Mean Girls’, ‘Spin’, and ‘Senior Years’, among others.

She said that she would love to work with Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.

The actress said: “I have grown up admiring SRK, Deepika, Alia and so many actors and would love to work with them someday. There are such incredible directors I want to work with and I can’t wait to explore the many possibilities.”

Joining Avantika in ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ are Pooja Bhatt, Mukul Chadda, Zoya Hussain, and Raima Sen.

Her journey in Hollywood continues with her next project, 'Tarot', a supernatural horror film slated for release later this year.