Lisa Ray: Unseen pictures of the actress

The gorgeous Lisa Ray turns 42 today! Sources inform that the actress wanted her birthday to be a special one and had planned a retreat in a private island resort in Boracay, Philippines. But she had to withdraw because of the weather conditions. Instead, she decided to celebrate her special day with her husband in a luxury resort in Hong Kong. On this occasion, we present a few pictures straight from Lisa's private album. Seen here is Lisa during her early modelling days. In those days, a poll conducted by The Times of India had named her the ninth most beautiful woman of the millennium.

This chubby little kid is none other than the mesmerising Lisa Ray! She was born in Toronto to a Bengali Hindu father and a Polish mother. Recalling her memories of childhood spent in Kolkata, Lisa shared in an interview, "I remember back in those days there was a lot of load-shedding. My mom would get fed up and we would go to our other ancestral house in Serampore. I loved the bungalow out of the city because of the green, the peace and quiet; the cricket field in front of my house where I played with my cousins. My mother (from Poland) passed away in 2008. She loved India and Kolkata; rather she was more Indian than my father. I remember her going to the bazar and bargaining. She had adapted herself to this culture."

Lisa Ray married Jason Dehni on October 20, 2012. She met him on recommendation from a news anchor Seamus O’ Regan, who suggested that she may want to get involved with charity of Jason Dehni, the co-founder of Artbound charity. That’s how Lisa and Jason met and ever since then, it has been a happy journey for both of them. Talking about her husband, Lisa had said in an interview, "He is my secret weapon; he is just an amazing soul. He is very open-minded and he is positive. He is grounded and always tries to make things easier for me. He is in true sense of the term my better half. I have found my missing part." This picture was clicked on Lisa’s wedding day with her husband, Jason, in California.

This is an age of smart phones and when every other individual has an obsession of clicking selfies, how can stylish Lisa be far behind! This is a selfie taken by Lisa in Bali on her vacation. Before setting off on her vacation, Lisa had tweeted, "Dreaming of Bali. Whispers and waves. Songs that go on all night and emerge from the green living." The actress loves travelling and also promotes Indian luxury travel worldwide. In an interview with IANS, Lisa had said, "It is my primary passion to promote the image of India and encourage foreigners to visit here. While it's hard to encompass the complexity of modern India in a single phrase, I've been using the refrain 'full on' to describe the engaging experience of India for travellers."

When Lisa Ray realised that acting was something that she wanted to pursue as a career seriously, she moved to London and concentrated on a career in performing arts. Here's a picture of Lisa clicked during one of her theatre performances in London. While she was in London, Lisa studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, The London Centre for Theatre Studies, The Desmond Jones school of Physical Theatre, and BADA. She graduated from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), in 2004, with a post-graduate degree in acting. (Source: Wikipedia)

Lisa is an avid traveller and a self-confessed nomad. In an interview, she had said, "You know, I was a very studious child though my life took a very different turn. But I don't regret not completing my formal education simply because the lessons I have learned in the course of travelling have been far more enriching. They taught me independence, gave me great life skills, and most importantly, they instilled tolerance in me. I travel to challenge myself." Seen in the picture is Lisa Ray with her hubby Jason at The Taj Mahal, Agra.

Like most celebrities, Lisa believes in healthy eating and prefers to stay away from processed food. In an interview, she shared what her regular diet is like, "Apart from green smoothies and juices, I eat vegetarian food on most days. I have cut out my entire diary intake. Health experts have told me that you can actually reverse the effects of your illness simply through nutrition." In an interview with Indiatoday.intoday.in, Lisa had said that she is such a foodie that she hosted Top Chef Canada. One of the top-rated shows in the US and Canada, Top Chef proved to be a lucrative career move for Lisa.

Lisa has done quite a number of photo shoots and featured on the cover page of top international magazines. Her appearance in Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's hit video 'Afreen' in 1996 made her a national rage. In 2001, Lisa appeared in her first Bollywood film, Vikram Bhatt's thriller Kasoor. She went on to star in a series of cross-over films like I Can't Think Straight and The World Unseen. She even played a homosexual in both, and an Indo-Canadian woman in Mehta's Cooking With Stella. Moreover, Kill Kill Faster Faster, a noir thriller, got her a lot of attention for her uninhibited, aesthetically shot nude scenes.

Lisa Ray is a renowned model. Talking about fashion in India in an interview, Lisa had said, "I love dressing up and I am happy about what is happening on the ramps in India. I think we are starting to realise our potential as a fashion-forward country. I dress up according to my mood. I like mixing the tradition of India with the comfort of the west." Seen here is Lisa walking the ramp with a kid for a fashion show.

Cancer survivor Lisa Ray says that cancer is a blessing she doesn't wish on anyone. She believes that the trick is to see this crisis as an opportunity for growth, as opposed to an obstacle. Talking about the way she shaped her cancer journey, Lisa had said, "Earlier, I was so self-absorbed and caught up in myself. I wouldn't listen to anyone. Cancer helped me make positive changes, physically, mentally, as well as spiritually. Hence, I call it a blessing. I am actually thriving on my cancer. I met my husband after getting diagnosed, I rediscovered my passion for writing during cancer and now I am going to start acting again." Lisa has committed her life to help cancer patients across the globe and doesn't shy away from using her celebrity status to raise money or awareness.