It's Bipasha Basu's birthday today. We bring to you the birthday girl's life journey, and some trivia.

This bong beauty was a smart kid right from the beginning. She did her schooling from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kolkata. She was the prefect at first and then the head girl. She started modeling at a very early age of 16. She did fashion shows all over the world. But till date deep down she regrets the fact about not being able to finish her education.

She won a few beauty contests, and then the Ford Supermodel of the World in December 1996. After that, modeling contracts in New York and Paris took over her life.

But inspite of the fame and the lifestyle she did not quite enjoy her modeling days. She got tired of it and was on the verge of opening up a restaurant when her first movie offer came in.

She came into the limelight with her coffee bean complexion in 'Ajnabee' and was called a scorcher for her skin show in 'Jism'. But Bollywood beauty Bipasha Basu, who turns 30 today, has now moved on from being just a sex icon and is signing on mature roles.

She was voted the Sexiest Asian woman in 2007 by the British weekly newspaper Eastern Eye, the starlet of films like 'Rudraksh', 'No Entry', 'Omkara' and 'Dhoom 2' has started taking steps towards signing on for serious roles.

Her attempt to do serious roles started with Prakash Jha's 2005 political drama 'Apaharan'. He presented her in a deglamourised role, but it was Ajay Devgan who took the limelight.

Bipasha's first meatier role was in Madhur Bhandarkar's critically acclaimed 2006 film 'Corporate'. She proved her acting abilities and both critics and audiences applauded her performance. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.

In 2008 we saw her in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film 'Shob Charitro Kalponik' and is currently doing Sudipto Chattopadhyaya's 'Pankh' and Rahul Dholakia's 'Lamhaa'.

Inspite of doing fewer hits and more misses, the actress, who entered the industry in 2001, constantly hogged the limelight, something to do with her oomph factor, we guess? Her personal life is also said to be rocking as she is currently dating the "Sexiest Man in Asia". John Abraham.

Finally in 2008 she came back in action with hits like 'Race' and 'Bachna Ae Haseeno'.

For her role in her next film Lamhaa', she plays the role of a Kashmiri girl.When we say a Kashmiri girl in Hindi films what comes to our mind is a fair-skinned, light-eyed girl. But she disproved that myth. Bip's is all set to change the dynamics of physical appearances of a Kashmiri girl.

This dusky damsel has no interest in going to Hollywood and doing films there coz she knows that right from Big B to any other actor they all have to go through the process of screen test and other formalities as no one there recognizes the Bollywood stars So instead of starting from a scratch she prefers to stay here and enjoy her stardom.

On her 30th birthday we wish the actress a very happy birthday and a very successful career ahead.