The increasing acceptance of ready to eat food generates demand on development of active and intelligent food packaging material. Even though many polymers have been used for the packaging, they have limitations for broad applications. Among the various polymers, Poly Vinyl Alcohol is a promising film forming polymer with highly flexible, emulsifying and adhesive properties. A variety of nano-fabrication techniques have already been reported to improve the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of PVA to exploit its wider applications. In the present study, starch-PVA based composite films incorporated with zinc oxide nanoparticles and phytochemicals were prepared by solvent casting technique. The films were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, UV–Vis spectrometry and SEM. The developed nanocomposite films were demonstrated to have enhanced water barrier, mechanical and antimicrobial properties. The unique features of the nanocomposite with its pH indication property demonstrated in the study indicate its potential usage in food packaging applications. •pH sensing antimicrobial wraps were prepared and characterized.•Films were found to be water resistant with excellent UV-light barrier properties.•Microbial barrier ability also makes it suitable for packaging foods.