HELLO! India Exclusive: Where Michelle Poonawalla reigns

We are in Koregaon Park, Pune. A space that always belonged to either Osho’s modern Buddhas shedding inner chaos to find light, or to old-moneyed — sometimes royal — families of South Mumbai, seeking a weekend home. It’s a vibe! As our car drives into Yohan and Michelle Poonawalla’s two-mansion estate, framed by 7.5 acres of lush trees, lily ponds, mini waterfalls, and ambrosial florals, we spot totems of global luxury just waiting to be translated into anecdotes.

Yohan’s vintage cars, for one, stand like sentinels of history in the driveway — one of which has featured in King Charles’ own coffee table book as an erstwhile part of the British royal collection! In fact, the couple recently attended the 1,000 Miglia Experience at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, which featured the vast Rolls-Royce collection of the Poonawallas. 

“The line-up included seven remarkable Rolls-Royce Phantoms, from 1925 to 2025, to celebrate 100 years of Phantoms. These beauties are just part of Yohan’s extensive vintage car collection,” shares Michelle, the queen of the manor, who is a living ambassador of old refinements meeting new possibilities. Koregaon Park’s iconic four lanes is a landmark address, with every arriviste seeking private land and a home here. However, “It’s certainly not easy to get a plot here,” she admits.

As luck would have it, her father- and mother-in-law — Zavaray and Behroze Poonawalla — bought a private mansion here, and when Yohan and Michelle were planning to marry, they chanced upon another adjacent majestic bungalow. While the young couple moved in right away, her in-laws moved in a decade later. “We added the porch and rebuilt whatever was broken in the original structure.” Today, the spaces whisper of the lifestyles of the rich and equanimous. Old-world verandas, wooden beams on ceilings, and layered detailing blend with edgy, modern innovations.

“We were fortunate to find plots selling around our property. So over two odd decades, I nurtured this botanical paradise all around,” says the ardent nature lover, as one can almost hear the smooth, circadian heartbeat of the trees… “During the pandemic, we never felt low or missed going out as our gardens were pulsating with life and beauty. I nurture it with all my heart.”

INVESTING IN STARTUPS

As a multi-hyphenate, Michelle’s eyes survey innovations in every sphere of interest. If it’s about biodegradable products, the names of the au courant startups roll easily as we chat over a flavourful multi-cultural lunch, which includes prawn Thai curry and the tenderest baked lobster. The family has a team of in-house chefs, and Michelle insists one try the homemade blueberry cheesecake — while she steers clear of all the sweet treats herself! As we continue conversing, we gather that Michelle is going beyond the long-established areas of the Poonawalla Group in engineering, finance, manufacturing and philanthropy.

“I’m drawn to projects where design, systems and sustainability intersect. Advanced manufacturing, green technologies, intelligent mobility and purpose-driven real estate are all areas where I try to add clarity and focus.” “We have invested in startups like the Macron Group, a multivertical enterprise specialising in integrated supply chain solutions, record management, and logistics parks. Then, there’s Regeno, a biodegradable plastic company; trackNOW, a techdriven startup offering real-time tracking, mobility, and IoT-based fleet management solutions; and TOVA, an innovative wellness beverage brand focussed on herb-infused, immunity-boosting water. Finally, Naturefit is a health app that brings alternative therapies, natural products, forums, and wellness tools onto one digital platform.”

INTROSPECTION THROUGH ART

Post lunch, in her art studio, we realise that Michelle stands between a creative legacy, “the ruler technique of painting,” emblematic of her legendary artist-architect-ideator grandfather, Jehangir Vazifdar — “a contemporary of Husain, Souza and Ram Kumar” — and the infinite possibilities of her day. We’re talking about a woman who may be ensconced in privilege, but is certainly in touch with the pain, bloodshed, polarisations, climate crises and refugee migrations of our times. She lets all of this bleed into her immersive installations, many of which tap into modern tech art idioms like video mapping, looped audio, and digital projections.

“I had this work titled ‘Introspection,’ which was a response to all the news one hears about terrorism — be it in London, New York, Mumbai, or Bali. We also see so many wars, conflict zones, and refugees displaced from conflict and climate change. So I created this work in an enclosed space, which had ‘sound showers’ made of major such news items. You could see blood red colours projected all around, with white butterflies flying out of the centre, representing departed souls.” “Strangely, people loved the experience of witnessing this work, many turning it into a selfie point! Some told me they felt a lot of peace in the enclosure, watching the white butterflies flying out. I think the butterflies represented humanity’s spiritual core, and hope for change.”

DNA OF DUAL CULTURES

Michelle’s parents moved to London when she was around 12, which saw her attending the More House School. When she visited Mumbai, which she often did, she lived with her grandparents. “I was a born artist, always an A+ student of art! Every day, I’d sketch, draw, and paint. I was very close to my grandfather, and when he felt his end was near, he taught me how he got this graphic element in his work, ‘the ruler effect,’ strictly as a legacy. When I paint in this style, I have to complete the entire work at one go. And no, I cannot reveal how this ruler effect works!” she laughs, but shows us a copy of a coffee table book on the eminent Jehangir Vazifdar. 

Michelle is not shy to admit that her family did not encourage a fine arts degree: “We didn’t have the kind of commercial interest in the fine arts that we do today, and it did not look like a practical calling. My father insisted that if I chose to do interiors, it must not be just a fly-by-night course but a proper degree.” Her engagement with art was born from an organic incident, when her daughter Tania, inspired by the magical world of Harry Potter, dreamed of writing a story for children. Michelle quoted Disney’s famed motto, “If you can dream it, do it.” She offered to illustrate the book, The Adventures of Harvey Mouse. Once her friends saw the illustrations, they saw some serious talent. And as fate would have it, “when The Gateway School needed artworks to auction for charity, I exhibited a few paintings. But the one everybody went crazy over had these butterflies coming out of it.”

THE ART OF BECOMING AN ARTIST

At some point, art curator Swapan Seth visited Michelle’s studio. Seeing a house featuring such rare works by Miro, Dali, Raza, and Husain, he also discovered she had studied the History of Art and achieved A-levels in art while pursuing her degree in interior design at the American College, London. He was instrumental in asking her to make butterflies her primary motif, and to explore multimedia approaches — sculpture, video, and impasto styles. “He would be in touch constantly, sharing innovations he spotted in the art world. He pushed my boundaries,” she says, appreciatively. “The butterfly captures vulnerability and transformation in a single image. For me, it’s not just an ornament; it’s a symbol of change and fragile beauty.”

“Artists and leaders both work in states of becoming. There are different stages where an artist or a leader proposes, iterates, and sometimes evolves into something better. The butterfly is a representative of all these phases. Even today, when I approach a new installation or a business idea, I’m conscious of that arc: emergence, adaptation, and the final result that follows.” After that solo show, her visually and symbolically rich works have featured at the Kochi Biennale, Saatchi Gallery in London and Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai. She even won the Shiromani Award from GP Hinduja at the NRI World Summit 2022 in London.

INTERIORS & THE VAZIFDAR LEGACY

Michelle’s love of interior design has deeper roots than her degree from the American College. She had seen her grandfather “as the architect behind many buildings around South Mumbai, particularly in the neighbourhood of Breach Candy. There was Eden Hall, Breach Candy Apartments, and Sorento, to name a few.” “My father Phiroze Vazifdar is also an architect, but he was more in the hospitality industry. Remember Studio 29 from the ’80s? The Bombay International Hotel [now hotel Marine Plaza] was also my dad’s work. He also made two country house hotels in the UK.”

Michelle has just finished renovating the Pune Royal Western Turf Club. The floors, furnishings, doors, windows, washrooms, and halls all bear the signature of a modern sensibility that respects the heritage of the structures. “People are now choosing to host events and family gatherings there. It offers an old-world ambience along with new touches, at far lower taxation than a seven-star, and great food!” Michelle and Yohan are also expanding their real estate interests, acquiring landmark commercial and residential assets across Mumbai and Pune. But an ongoing project, close to both their hearts, is the Poonawalla Towers near Bund Garden in Pune. “This is an 8,00,000 sqft premium commercial development, which will have our new offices and also be occupied by many other companies. The structure will reflect a refined approach to contemporary design.”

PERSONALISED LUXURY

If personalisation is the key trend in luxury consumption in 2025, we see it all around the Poonawalla residence. On her coffee table, a high-vibe neon, spray-painted Louis Vuitton suitcase from Virgil Abloh’s last collection infuses a sense of adventurous luxury. A glass tabletop is mounted on a classic, vintage Louis Vuitton trunk, to make a coffee table, too. On top of her beautifully carved bar featuring distressed wood polish, we see gigantic bottles of marquee brands, like Chivas Regal and Dom Perignon. There’s also a customised Toblerone mega-bar, along with the standard-sized ones, all branded ‘POONAWALLA.’ “The latter was made for my son Zayan’s birthday, which falls on Christmas Day,” she smiles, winsomely. 

MUM’S THE WORD!

Michelle’s multi-faceted life evidently includes sensitive parenting. “Tania [19] is studying urban planning and project management at University College London. I love to tease her that our Indian cities are going to keep her very busy!” While Zayan is still in school — he turned sweet 16 this Christmas — we can imagine the vast choices of specialisation in store for him. The teenager’s childhood vintage Austin toy car and paddle-foot airplane sit like installations in the entrance way. “They are here for sentimental value and part of our collection of fun, quirky things connected to family,” shares Michelle. When we walk around to the rear of the estate, we chance upon the children’s tree house, “not perched in a tree as that could be a disaster waiting to happen!” She also introduces us to some adorable, furry miniature Shetland ponies brought in from England, where we learn she has their fur trimmed in summers, so they can cope with the weather in India. “Little Chelsea was born here among us,” says Michelle, clearly a mum to the healthy biodiversity.

ALL THINGS FASHION

As we speak in the peak of winter, one imagines Michelle, a genuine fashion savant, will be surveying the season’s best new designs for her travels. “I think sequins and velvet are very popular. Jenny Packham designs lovely gowns, and Maria Lucia Hoffman makes some great party wear. Also, if you are a lover of high heels, Rene Caovilla is a good brand to check out. I’m also fond of Gucci,” she shares her choices. You will see Michelle and her family move around mostly with Louis Vuitton luggage pieces, currently from the Yayoi Kusama series featuring the Japanese artist’s trademark polka dots.

As we prepare to exit the Poonawalla universe, we see a family that values good breeding, time, and a work-life balance. “I know I can leave everything to Michelle when I have to travel,” Yohan had gamely shared over lunch. “Yes, we work sitting side by side in the office, and I know things won’t skip a beat in my absence.” From our talk time, one can see evolution at work — within a woman of the arts and the world, within a marriage of true minds. What can one expect next from the fashion- and art-forward, multi-dimensional Michelle? Time will tell!

REALISATION: AVANTIKKA KILACHAND RAJU

This story was featured in the Vol 1. Issue 7 of HELLO! India. For more exclusive stories, subscribe to the magazine here.