Paoli Dam is a well-known name in the Bengali film industry. Calcutta is her birthplace and also where she acquired her education, first at the Loretto School in Bowbazar, then at Calcutta University's Vidyasagar College, where she graduated in chemistry. She then earned a postgraduate degree in chemistry from Rajabazar Science College, also under the University of Calcutta. Born in a Bengali family with roots in Faridpur district, Bangladesh, Paoli Dam trained in singing as a child. Though she was passionate about singing and theatre since childhood, she aspired to have a successful career as a pilot or a chemical researcher. But destiny had other plans and Paoli Dam began her acting career with Bengali TV serials. In 2003, she acted in
Jibon Niye Khela for Zee Bangla. The serial brought her fame and recognition. The same year, she was seen in ETV Bangla in
Tithir Athiti directed by Jishu Dasgupta. The serial ran for seven years. Naturally, her next stop was the Bengali film industry.
Paoli Dam made her film debut with
Teen Yaari Katha (2012). The shooting of the film began in 2004, but it released only in 2012. Therefore
Agnipariksha (2006) became her first release. The actress played a supporting role in the film. Next, she starred in Haranath Chakraborty’s film
Tulkalam (2007). The film opened to positive reviews and her performance was noticed by leading directors. Her third Bengali film was
I Love You (2007), in which she played the heroine's friend. However, audiences got to see a lot more of in 2009; she acted in seven Bengali films, and came into limelight with the success of
Kaalbela. The film was based on a Bengali novel by Samaresh Majumdar, its background being the Naxalite movement of the 1980s. Dam played the role of a Naxalite leader’s girlfriend. Her other six films released that year were
Hochchheta Ki, directed by Basu Chatterjee;
Jamai Raja, directed by Swapan Saha;
Box No. 1313; Mallick Bari;
Shob Charitro Kalponik, directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Her performance in these films gave her immense popularity in the Bengali film industry.
Dam gained notoriety amongst the general population for her explicit sex scenes in the film Chatrak (2011), which was screened at several film festivals, but was not released in theatres.
The year 2012 saw Dam make her Hindi film debut with Hate Story (2012), directed by Vivek Agnihotri. The actress had a powerful role of a sex worker. The film was a huge commercial success. After this, she was seen in Vikram Bhatt's film, Ankur Arora Murder Case (2013).
As of now Dam has been working on several projects with some of the well-known directors of the Hindi film industry. Her recent releases Yaara Silly Silly (2015) and Gang of Ghosts (2014) were also critically appreciated. She also acted in the National Award winning Konkani film Baga Beach (2013), and consistently attempts to play unique and unconventional roles.
