Rare and unseen pictures of birthday girl, Manisha Koirala

New Delhi: Manisha Koirala was born in mountains bordering India, Nepal, on August 16, 1970. Her dad, B.P. Koirala, was Nepal's Prime Minister before her birth.Her ambition was to be a doctor, but a modelling stint opened a career path into Bollywood.Manisha Koirala was immaculate and even though she belonged to the most influential family of Nepal, the then newcomer did not resort to her inherited status to provide her with a launching pad in Bollywood.Subhash Ghai launched Manisha in Saudagar, which had B-town biggies like Dilip, Raj Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manisha's presence was felt and appreciated. She was heralded as one of the future star-heroines of Mumbai, even though the movies failed to generate the desired response at the box office.Her range began from Love Letter to 1942: A Love Story' to more serious ones like Akele Hum Akele Tum, Agnisakshi, Bombay, Khamoshi, Dil Se and Mann..Manisha has won five awards for her performance in 'Bombay', 'Khamoshi: The Musical'(two awards), 'Company', and 'Escape from Taliban'. After receiving a diploma in filmmaking from New York, U.S.A, she produced the small-budget caper-comedy Paisa Vasool (2004) in which she starred along with Sushmita Sen. Paise Vasool which proved to be a super flop and bombed at the box office. Manisha is actively involved in many social causes to improve the status of women, women's rights, prevention of violence against women, as well as in the active prevention human trafficking, especially Nepali women, who are abducted and sold as prostitutes. She has a passion to improve the society she lives in and has risen above the rat race to be at the top.IIn 2010 she married a Nepali businessman Samrat Dahal in a traditional ceremony in Kathmandu, but the marriage hit the rocks in 2012 when the couple decided to part ways for good. Manisha Koirala successfully battled ovarian cancer after being diagnosed with the same in 2012 and is now following a strict regime.