’We are a simple middle-class family’

Jennifer Maureen Storey stole many a heart when she was crowned Miss Madras in 1967

Jennifer Dutta, Bengaluru
Mother to: Lara Dutta,
former Miss Universe and Bollywood actor

Jennifer Maureen Storey stole many a heart when she was crowned Miss Madras in 1967. The youngest of three sisters and a brother, she married Lalit Datta the very next year. Theirs was a family bound by Anglo-Indian traditions.

The graceful 65 year-old remembers how she met her husband Wing Commander LK Dutta in Chennai. She was out one night with family at the Gymkhana Club when cupid struck. "When I met him, we were both lovestruck, and the song, Strangers in the night, was playing at the club that evening. Even today when I hear Frank Sinatra singing that song, I get nostalgic."

Since her husband was away on work most of the year, it was Jennifer who managed the house and kids. "I loved spending time with the three girls, and since their dad was away, I put in extra time so that they didn't feel his absence."

Hailing from a Catholic family, Jennifer stuck to her roots and kept her fast on Fridays. Sundays were reserved for mass at church.

When the family planned to settle in Bengaluru after retirement, the three daughters (Sabrina, Cherin and Lara) were thrilled to bits, Jennifer remembers.

Lara is the one Jennifer seems most fond of, although she won't admit it. Recently, on her 40th wedding anniversary, Lara and her sisters planned a bash at their Bengaluru home, pampering her with gifts. "I love perfumes. I can finish a bottle in a week!" she smiles.

Jennifer keeps herself busy by tending to her home that she admits, she is obssessive about. "I don't like finding things out of place."

Lara's success in the glamour industry has changed their life, Jennifer says candidly. "We like hearing people talk about her and we look forward to watching all her movies in theatres. We'd rarely catch a film in a movie hall before Lara joined films. Yes, there are comforts but we are still a simple middle-class family. I never gave the girls extra pocket money and kept them grounded," she says of the family dominated by women. Sabrina and Cherin have daughters, and Jennifer is now keen that Lara 'gift' her a son, after her recent marriage to tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi.

"We are both very fond of Mahesh, and we meet his parents often since they are also based in Bangalore."

Fond of travelling, Jennifer drops by at Lara and Cherin's Mumbai homes a couple of times a year, but it's during Christmas that the entire family makes it a point to get together. "It's been a family tradition for years. The exchanging of gifts and hugs on Christmas has kept the bond strong."