Paoli Dam
Paoli Dam (born 4 October 1980) is an Indian film actress who began her career in 2004 with the Bengali television serial Jibon Niye Khela. Over the next several years, she worked in Bengali television serials such as Tithir Atithi and Sonar Harin; the former ran for six years on ETV Bangla.
Dam spent her childhood in Kolkata, earning a postgraduate degree in chemistry from Rajabazar Science College. Initially, she wanted to become a chemical researcher or a pilot.
Her debut Bengali film—Teen Yaari Katha, directed by Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha—was begun in 2004, but not released until 2012. Dam's first film release was Agnipariksha, directed by Rabi Kinagi. Between 2006 and 2009 she appeared in five Bengali films, coming into prominence with the 2009 Kaalbela (directed by Gautam Ghose). In 2011 Dam appeared in Chatrak, which was controversial in India because of an explicit sex scene.
In 2012, Dam made her Bollywood debut in Hate Story. She also appeared in Vikram Bhatt's Ankur Arora Murder Case, directed by Sohail Tatari.
Early life and education
Dam was born[1] in Kolkata, West Bengal to a Bengali family. Her father and mother are Amol and Papiya Dam (mother) and she has a brother, Mainak.[2]
Dam attended Loreto School in Bowbazar before passing her Higher Secondary Examination. She was a good student, winning scholarships.[3] Dam was admitted to Vidyasagar College of the University of Calcutta, graduating with a degree in chemistry.[4][5] She earned a postgraduate degree in chemistry from Rajabazar Science College of the University of Calcutta.[6][7]
Becoming an actress was not a childhood dream: "I learnt classical dance and was into theatre from an early age. But I never aspired to be an actor".[3] Initially, she wanted to become a chemical researcher or a pilot. Like other Bengali children, during her childhood Dam also took singing lessons.[8]
Television career
Dam began her acting career in Bengali television serials. In 2003 she appeared in Jibon Niye Khela for Zee Bangla and later in the ETV Bangla serial Tithir Atithi, directed by Jishu Dasgupta; the latter ran for six years.[3] The actress also appeared in Tarpor Chand Uthlo, Sonar Harin and Jaya. Dam has said she has learned a great deal from Bengali television, and it groomed her for a film career.[9]
Bengali film career
Year | Films |
---|---|
2006 | |
2007 | |
2008 | |
2009 | |
2010 | |
2011 | |
2013 |
2006–2008
Dam's debut Bengali film, Teen Yaari Katha (directed by Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha), was begun in 2004 but unreleased until 2012. Her first film release was Agnipariksha (2006).[10] The film was directed by Rabi Kinagi and produced by Debendra Kuchar; Dam played a supporting role.[11] The actress next appeared in Tulkalam (2007), directed by Haranath Chakraborty and produced by Pijush Saha. Mithun Chakraborty and Rachana Banerjee played the lead male and female characters, respectively, in the film.[12] Dam's third Bengali film release was I Love You, in which she had a supporting role as the heroine's friend.[13] In 2008 the actress appeared in the Bengali film Hochheta Ki, a comedy of errors directed by Basu Chatterjee in which Dam played a Bengali housewife.[14]
2009–2011
In 2009 Dam appeared in seven Bengali films, and came into focus with the success of Kaalbela (directed by Goutam Ghose).
Based on a Bengali novel by Samaresh Majumdar, the film's background was the Naxalite movement of the 1980s. Dam played Madhabilata, the girlfriend of a young Naxalite leader,[15] and her performance was praised.[9] In its review, The Times of India appreciated "Pauli, who plays Madhabilata with such integrity that the pain in her eyes and the romance in her voice charms viewers to believe that she has it in her to lend her face to everything that Madhabilita has epitomised".[15] In an interview, Dam said the film was a "turning point" in her career:[10] "Everybody needs a platform – Kalbela gave me the platform. I had to prove myself".[9] 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, and Tinmurti.[16]
In 2010 Dam appeared in eleven Bengali films, including Tara (directed by Bratya Basu), Takhan Teish (directed by Atanu Ghosh), Moner Manush (directed by Goutam Ghose), Kagojer Bou (directed by Bappaditya Bandyopadhyay) and Banshiwala (directed by Anjan Das); five of the eleven are unreleased. Moner Manush was Dam's second film with Ghose; in this film she played Komli, a Baul.[17] In its review, The Times of India found Dam making "sincere efforts in portraying the role of Kamli".[18] The actress later said in an interview that she learned a great deal from working with Ghose.[10]
In 2011 Dam appeared in Chatrak, directed by the Sri Lankan Vimukthi Jayasundara.[19] The actress played Paoli, a Bengali girl, and the film triggered controversy in India when an explicit sex scene with Dam and Anubrata Basu was leaked on the Internet.[20][21][22]
2012–present
In 2012 Dam's first Hindi film, Hate Story, was released; she also appeared in three Bengali films: Bedroom (directed by Mainak Bhaumik), Elar Char Adhyay (directed by Bappaditya Bandyopadhyay) and Teen Yaari Katha (the actress' first film appearance, directed by Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha).[16] Bedroom's storyline revolved around the lives of Kolkata urban couples; Dam played Priyanka (a bored, irritable housewife).[23][24] Elar Char Adhyay was based on Rabindranath Tagore's literary work Char Adhyay, and was set in British Raj India during the 1940s. Dam played Ela, teacher of a group fighting for Indian independence. Her acting was praised; The Indian Express found Dam's characterization of Ela "wonderful"[25] and The Times of India wrote, "Those who thought Paoli's "Hate Story" outing was all about being bold will be pleasantly surprised by her sheer maturity in reinterpreting boldness in the context of an era long left behind".[26] In Teen Yaari Katha, the actress played a supporting role.[27]
As of June 2013[update], Dam is scheduled to appear in Mainak Bhaumick's Family Album. The film, also starring Swastika Mukherjee, deals with an MMS scandal.[28]
Bollywood career
In 2012 Dam made her Bollywood debut in Hate Story, directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Vikram Bhatt.[29] The film had female protagonists; Dam played Kavyah Krishna, a sex worker.[30] In the film, she and her friend Vicky pull off a caper against one of India's biggest business tycoons.[31]
Dam's acting in this film received a lukewarm response. The Times of India in its review:[31]
Paoli Dam doesn't disappoint one bit on the latter aspect, she is not bad in terms of her acting abilities either. She doesn't incite the pathos that one could fervently feel for her character's plight. But though her act is not accomplished, she manages to pull off her role quite well.
After the film's commercial success producer Vikram Bhatt planned a sequel, in which Dam was replaced by Surveen Chawla.[32]
After Hate Story Dam appeared in Vikram Bhatt's next film, Ankur Arora Murder Case. The film, directed by Sohail Tatari, is based on the true story of a young boy who died in an operating room due to medical negligence. Dam plays a lawyer fighting for justice.[33] In an interview, she described her role: "It's something very real and close to life and it's a de-glamourised role. It's something that I really enjoyed playing".[34][35] After attending a special screening of the film in Mumabai, Indian film critic and journalist Taran Adarsh called Dam and said that she should work more in Bollywood.[36]
Dam is scheduled to appear in the Hindi film, Yaara Sili Sili, directed by Subhash Saighal.[37] As of April 2013[update], she will also appear in Ashuu Trikha's thriller Jee Jaan Se (with Kay Kay Menon and Raveena Tandon) as a homemaker whose life is shattered after the death of her husband.[37] According to a 25 April 2013 article in The Times of India, after working in two Vikram Bhatt films Dam has been offered a third (also a thriller).[37]
Other films
In 2012 Dam began working on the Konkani film Baga Beach, directed by Laxmikant Shetgaonkar. The actress said in an interview, "I like working in different kinds of films. I met Laxmikant Shetgaonkar at the Cannes film festival in 2011 and later heard his script for Baga Beach and liked it. I thought it would be a very unique experience working in a Konkani film. And I thought 15 to 20 days of commitment to a film is not much to give".[38]
Achievements
Red-carpet walk at Cannes
Unlike Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Mallika Sherawat (who walked the red carpet as brand ambassadors for international products), Dam became the first Indian actress to walk the carpet as an actress in a film shown at the festival (walking with Icelandic co-star Thomas Lemarquies). Although Indian actresses commonly wear Western dress, Dam wore Bengali clothes: a dhakai saree with a red border, red bangles on her wrists and a bindi. The actress later said she dressed that way because she had the opportunity to walk the red carpet as the heroine of a Bengali film.[39]
Work
Filmography
- Actor
Year | Film | Language | Director | Role | Co-stars |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Baga Beach | Konkani | Laxmikant Shetgaonkar | Sobha | Sadiya Siddiqui, Cedric Cirotteau |
Family Album | Bengali | Mainka Bhaumick | Swastika Mukherjee | ||
Ankur Arora Murder Case | Hindi | Suhail Tatari | Kajoli Sen | Arjun Mathur, Kay Kay Menon | |
Sweetheart | Bengali | Arup Bhanja | Mimi | Indraneil Sengupta, Tapas Pal, Santu Mukhopadhyay | |
Hoi Choi | Bengali | Debarati Gupta | Piyal | Rahul Banerjee, Priyanka Sarkar | |
2012 | Elar Char Adhyay | Bengali | Bappaditya Bandyopadhyay | Ela | Vikram Chatterjee, Rudranil Ghosh |
Hate Story | Hindi | Vivek Agnihotri | Kavyah Krishnan | Gulshan Devaiya & Nikhil Dwivedi | |
Teen Yaari Katha | Bengali | Sudeshna Roy, Abhijit Guha | Neel Mukherjee, Rudraneel Ghosh, Parambrata Chatterjee | ||
Bedroom | Bengali | Mainak Bhaumik | Priyanka | Rahul Banerjee & Abir Chatterjee | |
2011 | Chatrak | Bengali | Vimukthi Jayasundara | Paoli | Sudip Mukherjee |
Someday Somewhere... Jete Pari Chole | Bengali | Sanghamitra Chowdhury | Ruu | Saheb Bhattacharya, Shankar Chakraborty, Debjani Chattopadhyay | |
Ajob Prem Ebong... | Bengali | Arindam Dey | Moyna | Rahul Banerjee, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty | |
2010 | Moner Manush | Bengali | Gautam Ghose | Komli | Prosenjit Chatterjee |
Actor Aalive | Bengali | Junior CBI officer | |||
Bangla Banchao | Bengali | Anup Sengupta | Anamika Saha, Pulokita Ghosh | ||
Banshiwala | Bengali | Anjan Das | Nipa | Soumitra Chatterjee, Shayan Munshi | |
Hurumtaal | Bengali | Twinkle | |||
Jhar Sheshe | Bengali | ||||
Kagojer Bou | Bengali | Bappaditya Bandyopadhyay | Preiti | Rahul, Rimjhim Gupta | |
Mati O Manush | Bengali | ||||
Takhan Teish | Bengali | Atanu Ghosh | Mohini | Jisshu Sengupta, Aparajita Ghosh Das, Tanusree Shankar, Rajatava Dutta | |
Tara (they) | Bengali | Bratya Basu | Madhuja | Prosenjit Chatterjee, Bratya Basu | |
Thana Theke Aschi | Bengali | Saran Dutta | Sandhya Mondol | Parambrata Chatterjee | |
2009 | Tinmurti | Bengali | Raja Sen | Debolina | Manoj Mitra, Sabitri Chatterjee, Ranjit Mullick, Joy Mukherjee |
Shob Charitro Kalponik | Bengali | Rituparno Ghosh | Kajori Roy | Prosenjit Chatterjee, Bipasha Basu, Sohag Sen | |
Mallick Bari | Bengali | Anirban Chakraborty, P. J. Joseph | Purnima | Supriya Choudhury, Sabyasachi Chakrabarty, Ritwik Chakraborty, Rimjhim Mitra | |
Box No. 1313 | Bengali | Aniruddha Bhattacharya | Parambrata Chatterjee | ||
Jamai Raja | Bengali | Swapan Saha | Prosenjit Chatterjee | ||
Kaalbela | Bengali | Gautam Ghosh | Madhabilata | Soumitra Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee | |
2008 | Hochchheta ki | Bengali | Basu Chatterjee | Priya | Prosenjit Chatterjee, Arunima Ghosh, Rajatava Dutta |
Aamar Pratigya | Bengali | Swapan Saha | Biswanath Basu, Priyanshu Chatterjee | ||
2007 | I Love You | Bengali | Rabi Kinagi | Guest appearance, Pooja's friend | Dev |
Tulkalam | Bengali | Haranath Chakraborty | Mithun Chakraborty, Amitava Chakraborty | ||
2006 | Agnipariksha | Bengali | Rabi Kinagi |
- Playback singer
- Kaalbela (2009)
Television
- Jibon Niye Khela (Zee Bangla, 2004)[9]
- Tithir Atithi (directed by Jishu Dasgupta, ETV Bangla)[9]
- Tarpor Chand Uthlo (Tara TV)[9]
- Sonar Harin (ETV Bangla)[9]
- Jaya[9]
See also
References
- ^ "Paoli Dam biography". Tolly World (website). Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Actress Paoli Dam Parents". MerePix. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Damned if She Does". India Today. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Paoli Dam: Who is she?". India Today. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ "Paoli Dam Profile". Tolly World (website). Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ Smita Patil of Bengali cinema
- ^ Paoli Dam on life after Kalbela
- ^ "Interview with Paoli Dam". Bengali Movies Interview. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Playing it right". The Telegraph Calcutta. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Paoli Dam on life after Kalbela". Telegraph Calcutta. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ "Cast & Crew of Agnipariksha". Gomolo. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Cast & Crew of Tulkalam". Gomolo. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "I Love You Cast and Crew". Gomolo. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Hccheta Ki review". Screen India. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Kaalbela review". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Paoli Dam filmography". Gomolo. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Review Moner Manush". NDTV. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Moner Manush review". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "A Calcutta girl at the croisette". Telegraph Calcutta. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ Dasgupta, Priyanka (15 September 2011). "Paoli axed from movie promos". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ Dasgupta, Priyanka (18 September 2011). "I'll cast Paoli in my next: Vimukti Jayasundara". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ Vats, Rohit (12 October 2011). "Is 'Chatrak' the boldest film ever made in India?". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ^ "Mainak Bhaumik's next film 'Bedroom'". TollyRise. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Bedroom movie review". WBRi. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Elar Char Adhyay". The Indian Express review. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Elar Char Adhyay". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Teen Yaari Katha movie review". The Times of India. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ "Mainak Bhaumick's new film with Swastika and Paoli". The Times of India. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
- ^ "Heroines have to be desirable: Paoli Dam". Times of India. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "I am choosy about script: Paoli Dam (Interview)". FilmyTown. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Hate Story: Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ "Surveen Chawla replaces Paoli Dam in Hate Story sequel". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Sexy Paoli Dam goes de-glam". NDTV Movies. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
- ^ "Paoli Dam's role in 'Ankur Arora Murder Case' close to life". Mid Day. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ "Paoli Dam in Vikram Bhatt's Ankur Arora Murder, releases 14th June". Parda Phash. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "The Brave Outsider". The Telegraph Calcutta. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ a b c "Paoli Dam in third Vikram Bhatt project?". The Times of India. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
- ^ "Paoli Dam to act in Shetgaonkar's 'Baga beach'". The Times of India. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ "Paoli Dam steals the show at Cannes". India Today. Retrieved 5 May 2013.