Biography

A native of Joliet, Illinois, JANINA GAVANKAR (Papi) is a gifted performer who trained as a musician, singer and dancer before taking up a theatre major at the University of Illinois. Besides keeping busy as a member of the pop group INDERA, Gavankar also cut her acting teeth in the local Chicago theatre scene, as well as working in commercials and independent film projects. Since moving to Los Angeles, Gavankar has appeared in numerous hit television series such as "Girlfriends" and "Strong Medicine," as well as the indie film "Bull Run." She also plays "Ms. Dewey" in Microsoft's cutting edge interactive search engine, msdewey.com.