Walk into the straight-out-of-a-fairy tale bungalow on a quiet road in Juhu... Ask for Madame Anju Mahendroo... and you'll be greeted by a bevy of dogs. A minimum of five, and a maximum of 17.

Strangely enough, they behave more like cats. They fawn over you and rub themselves against your legs. From the depths of the leather sofa in the massive drawing room, comes a cheery hello. You're looking at the lady in question.

"I hope you aren't afraid of dogs," she asks, over blaring cricket commentary. There are palmites on the ceiling, made from printing blocks stuck together. Antiquated temple doors arranged to look like a massive chest make up the bar. There are plants, urns and figurines everywhere. From marble to plaster-of-Paris, metal and tile and leather upholstery, everything has a space in her immaculately tidy drawing room.

A table between two setees is home to a family of Chinese figurines, settled cozily next to a laughing Buddha, in the shade of a potted plant. Mahendroo finally manages to drag herself away from the screen long enough to say, "What can I tell you about my home? It's a place full of love and laughter. People come here, and find themselves relaxing with their feet up, because that's the way I wanted it to be."

But from the massive urn housing a plant next to the bar to the Thai temple tiles that make for a unique table-top, the house is stunning in its simplicity. The amazing thing about is that there aren't any pictures of Anju herself. Only those of her parents. "What a filmi idea! Imagine staring at myself. My house is perfect like this. Hai na?"

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.