India, Aug. 11 -- Actor-influencer Ahilya grew up in the spiritual commune of Auroville, amid nature. After debuting as the ecologically inclined Gauri in Singeetham Srinivasa Rao's recent musical, Sing Geetham, she also made news for attending the student protests and speaking up about the Auroville Youth Centre being shut down. Talking to Hindustan Times, she says she isn't afraid to speak up because she's a humanitarian first and an actor next. (Also Read: Ahilya, 25, reveals what it's like to work with the oldest filmmaker in the world: 'Never felt generations apart')

When the students' protests rocked the nation over NEET irregularities and demanded Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, Ahilya was one of the few actors to join the stude...