Birthday Special! The roles only Paoli Dam could have pulled off

Not only has Paoli Dam played key roles in successful big banner movies but has also appeared in smaller films with relatively new talented filmmakers. Known for portraying strong characters on screen, the actress has managed to carve a niche of her own in an industry where most of the actresses end up as the glam quotient of a big-budget film. Here we take a look at 6 career-defining characters Paoli has played over the years.
Maati

‘Maati’ weaves around Paoli Dam's character Meghla who returns to her ancestral home in Bangladesh, years after her grandmother’s mysterious death. Her grandmother (played by Aparajita Adhya) decided not to leave Bangladesh after the partition but later she was murdered by one of her trusted men. Meghla finds out the murderer’s descendants are now living in the same house. In Bangladesh, she meets Jamil (Adil Hussain) who explains the stark reality in contrast to Meghla’s so-called illusions about her ancestral home. Paoli has excelled in her character of a strong-headed inquisitive woman obsessed with her past. As she couldn’t hate despite much bitterness inside, she delivers the actual emotions of Meghla suffering for the consequences of Partition.
Ahare Mon

Paoli here plays Ramona, a single woman, who befriends an immigration officer at the Dum Dum airport, Purnendu (played by Adil Hussain), while she was flying out for a holiday to Italy. Paoli remains a standout as a lonely frequent flyer and you can actually touch the essential goodness of the character in each and every gesture, every look. Pratim D Gupta’s ‘Ahare Mon’ has an ensemble cast that includes Ritwick Chakraborty, Parno Mittra, Mamata Shankar, Anjan Dutt also and all of them deliver captivating performances. Still, you would fall for Paoli’s character in this film.
Moner Manush

Although it was Prosenjit Chatterjee who stole the limelight for his outstanding portrayal of Lalan Fakir, legendary spiritual leader, poet and ‘Baul’ of 19th century, the biographical drama reinvented Paoli Dam as an actor. Playing the key female disciple of Lalan Komli, she literally slipped into the character. With this single performance, Paoli had all his critics for a lifetime and a little more to silence. The Gautam Ghose directorial received the Nargis Dutt Award for the Best Film on National Integration and also awarded the Best Film at the 41st International Film Festival of India held at Goa.
Maacher Jhol

‘Maacher Jhol’ travels beyond food to highlight the complex nature of modern relationships. It focuses on ambitions which often faces wrath from old school thoughts and traditions. Paoli plays an estranged wife Sreela to Ritwick Chakraborty’s lead character. Ritwick essays his role of a Paris-based chef Dev D with consummate ease, shifting gear from being a popular chef, to a responsible child of his mother and lastly a puzzled son while facing his father. Paoli delivers her stoic best, throwing some really well-written dialogues superbly towards the climax of the film. What stands out in this film is the lack of unnecessary melodrama, a compact screenplay and editing, straightforward dialogues and a much-needed essence of nostalgia.
Natoker Moto

‘Kheya’ means boat. In ‘Nato­ker Moto’, the lead character Kheya, played by Paoli Dam, is seen drowning in the very first shot—she eventually plunges into a river and her dead body fished out later. But the question remains is it suicide or murder? That’s what the mystery to unspool as an investigating officer tries to reconstruct Kheya’s past and pieces together seeking the truth. Based on a real life incident, the life of Keya Cha­kraborty, who ruled Bengali stage arena in the ’70s, it’s not a thriller. In this Debesh Chattopadhyay directorial, Paoli’s performance once again leaves us in awe as her expressions and dialogue throw wins many a million hearts.
Devi

Paoli Dam as the titular character plays a rebel since childhood under an overly disciplinarian mother (Sudipa Basu) and a loving, caring father (Ardhendhu Banerjee). She is basically a soulful photographer traveling across the world capturing stories. But she is heavily into drinking, drugs and has a troubled relationship with a Kolkata guy Prateek (Shubh Mukherjee). Director Rick Basu chose the perfect actress to essay the role of Devi. Paoli looks subtle, intelligent and convincing in her own right. She just stole the show in Devi.