It has been reported that actress Nikhila Vimal's sister, Akhila Vimal, has embraced sanyas (monastic life). Akhila, who completed her research in Theatre Arts at JNU, was also a Mellon School of Theatre and Performance Research Fellow at Harvard University. After taking sanyas, she has adopted the name Avantika Bharati.

It was Akhila’s guru, Abhinava Balanandabhairava, who announced this on Facebook. His post stated:

"Received sanyas and the title of Maha Mandaleshwar from Juna Peethadheeshwar Acharya Maha Mandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj. My disciple in scriptural studies, Akhila, has now attained the name Avantika Bharati. The Kashmir Anandabhairava tradition extends its congratulations."

The picture shared by Abhinava Balanandabhairava shows Akhila wearing saffron robes. Akhila and Nikhila are daughters of Kalamandalam Vimaladevi and MR Pavithran. Following in their mother’s footsteps, both sisters learned classical dance.