Pakhi Tyrewala

Pakhi Tyrewala (born 6 June 1984) is the stage name of Punarnava Mehta an Indian actress who debuted in Bollywood in 2002 with Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?, in which she used her real name Punarnava Mehta. She later changed her name to Pakhi which is her nickname, and adopted Tyrewala after her marriage to Abbas Tyrewala. She was relaunched by her husband Abbas in 2010 with her new name 'Pakhi' in the film Jhootha Hi Sahi.

Pakhi was born and brought up in Delhi, where she lived in Press Enclave, Saket, where her parents were teacher and journalist. She completed her schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, Lodhi Road, but didn't pursue college education as she was dyslexic.

Pakhi Tyrewala started off her career as a child artist in movies, serials, and theater. in 1996. She made her debut as a child artist in 1997, in the film Dance of the Wind, in which she played the role of a Russian girl Stella.

She came to Mumbai in year 2000. She also did TV advertisements for Ponds, Sunsilk, Dabur Vattika, Herohonda, Rayban, and Organics, after which she took a hiatus for her studies only to restart her career five years later as an adult in the film with Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? in 2002.

In 2010 she was cast opposite John Abraham in the film Jhoota Hi Sahi, which was directed by her husband Abbas Tyrewala. She played the role of a suicidal woman called Mishka whose final call mistakenly connects to a man who gives her something to live for. The film received mixed reviews and was also a commercial failure. Pakhi's performance was heavily criticized, with many critics disagreeing with Abbas for casting his wife. After the fate of the film, Pakhi decided to quit acting and returned to first love: direction.

In 2010, she went to TICSH, New York to study film making. In December 2011, Pakhi started working as an Assistant Director with Nagesh Kukunoor for his film, The Boxer, and then his documentary, Lakshmi, in 2012.

Pakhi is married to director Abbas Tyrewala. They fell in love during the shooting of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, in which she was the casting director. She is a teacher at the Art of Living Foundation, headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

• Dance of the Wind (1997) ... Shabda
• Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? (2002) ... Stella
• Jhootha Hi Sahi (2010) ... Mishka
• De Taali... writer
• Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2007)...casting director