You probably remember Lisa Ray as the "petals-in-the-bath" girl from the iconic Nirma ad or the radiant lead in Deepa Mehta's Water. But honestly, the version of Lisa Ray we see today—living a quiet, intentional life with her husband, Jason Dehni—is way more interesting than the 90s bombshell persona.
It’s been over a decade since they tied the knot in California.
While most celebrity marriages in the spotlight seem to fizzle out or get messy, these two have basically written the blueprint for how to handle life when it throws you a massive, cancer-shaped curveball.
Who Is Jason Dehni?
Let’s get the basics out of the way. Jason Dehni isn't a Bollywood actor or a high-profile director. He’s a banking executive and management consultant. Think Savile Row suits and high-stakes boardrooms. It’s kinda funny because Lisa has openly admitted she used to "loathe and run from" the corporate CEO type.
They met in 2011. This was right after Lisa had finished her first grueling round of treatment for Multiple Myeloma, a rare and incurable blood cancer.
She wasn't looking for a "sugar rush" romance. She was looking for a rock.
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Jason proposed in Napa Valley, and they went back to that same scenic spot to get married on October 20, 2012. It wasn't just a wedding; Lisa called it a "Revival of Love." Her Bengali father even picked the date because it coincided with the start of Durga Puja, making it extra auspicious.
The Relapse Nobody Knew About
Here is the part that most people actually get wrong or just flat-out didn't know: Lisa relapsed right after the wedding.
Imagine being a newlywed, supposed to be in that "honeymoon phase" in Bora Bora, and finding out your cancer is back. It’s heavy. Lisa actually kept the news from Jason for a short while because she wanted to protect that pocket of happiness they had just created.
She eventually told him, obviously.
Jason didn't blink. He transitioned from "new husband" to "caregiver" almost overnight. Lisa often jokes about him being her "hot road manager," but she’s serious when she says he protected her creative space and her mental health while she navigated the weird world of shamans, plant medicine, and intense western treatments.
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Becoming Parents: The Georgia Connection
By 2018, the couple decided they wanted kids. But there was a massive hurdle. Because of the lifelong medication Lisa has to take to keep the cancer at bay, she couldn't carry a pregnancy.
They tried the surrogacy route in India first.
Then, literally a week before they were supposed to start, India changed the laws and outlawed commercial surrogacy. They were crushed.
They didn't give up, though. They tried Mexico, which was a total failure and a huge emotional drain. Finally, they found a path in Tbilisi, Georgia.
In June 2018, their twin daughters, Sufi and Soleil, were born. Lisa calls them "Soufflé" (a mix of both names).
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How They Make It Work in 2026
Fast forward to today. The couple has spent time living between Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Canada. Their life isn't all red carpets. It’s diapers, napping schedules, and Jason "lobbying" for Lisa to have quiet time to write her books.
- Communication is raw: They don't do the "perfect couple" act.
- Spirituality matters: Jason joins her on spiritual retreats, even if the "woo-woo" stuff isn't naturally his vibe.
- Privacy is a choice: They share bits of their daughters on Instagram but keep the core of their relationship out of the tabloids.
What We Can Learn from Lisa and Jason
If you're looking at their relationship and wondering why it’s lasted while others haven't, it’s basically down to radical honesty. Lisa has been incredibly vocal about her "Yellow Diaries" and the reality of living with a chronic illness.
Jason stayed.
He didn't just stay for the glamorous movie premieres; he stayed for the days when she was bloated from steroids or too dizzy to stand.
If you're going through a tough health journey or navigating a long-term partnership, take a page out of their book: don't wait for "perfect" to be happy. They got married while she was in remission, knowing the cancer could come back. They had kids via surrogacy when the laws kept shifting under their feet.
Life is messy. You've just got to find someone who’s willing to get their hands dirty with you.
Check out Lisa’s memoir, Close to the Bone, if you want the deep, unfiltered version of this story. It’s a great read if you need a reminder that "happily ever after" isn't a destination—it’s just a series of choices you make every single day.