Paoli Dam's best performances in Bengali cinema

Not only has Paoli Dam played key roles in successful big-banner movies, but she has also appeared in films with relatively new filmmakers. Known for portraying strong characters on screen, the actress has managed to carve a niche for herself. Here, we take a look at some of her best works in Bengali cinema.

^{‘Maati’ weaves around Paoli Dam's character, Meghla who returns to her ancestral home in Bangladesh, years after her grandmother’s mysterious death. The story sheds light on how her grandmother (played by Aparajita Adhya) decides not to leave Bangladesh after the partition and is later murdered by one of her trusted men. Meghla finds out the murderer’s descendants are now living in the same house. There, she meets Jamil (Adil Hussain) who explains the stark reality in contrast to Meghla’s "illusions" about her ancestral home. Paoli has excelled in her character of a strong-headed, inquisitive woman obsessed with her past.}

In 'Ahare Mon', Paoli plays Ramona, a single woman, who befriends an immigration officer, Purnendu (played by Adil Hussain), while flying out for a holiday to Italy. Paoli remains a standout as a lonely frequent flyer and you can actually feel the essential goodness of the character in every gesture and look. Pratim D Gupta’s ‘Ahare Mon’ has an ensemble cast that includes Ritwick Chakraborty, Parno Mittra, Mamata Shankar, Anjan Dutt who have all delivered captivating performances.

Although it was Prosenjit Chatterjee who stole the limelight for his outstanding portrayal of Lalan Fakir, the legendary spiritual leader, poet and ‘Baul’ of the 19th century, the biographical drama 'Moner Manush' reinvented Paoli Dam as an actor. Playing the key female disciple of Lalan, she slipped well into the character. With this performance, Paoli won over all her critics. 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’ travels beyond food to highlight the complex nature of modern relationships. It focuses on ambitions which often face the wrath of old school thoughts and traditions. Paoli plays Ritwick Chakraborty’s estranged wife, Sreela. Ritwick essays his role of a Paris-based chef Dev D with consummate ease, shifting gear from being a popular chef to a responsible son and even a puzzled man while facing his father. Paoli delivers her one of her best performances, by giving some well-written dialogues 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.

In ‘Nato­ker Moto’, the lead character Kheya (which means boat), played by Paoli Dam, is seen drowning in the very first shot and her dead body is fished out later. But the question remains, is it suicide or murder? That’s what the mystery an investigating officer tries to unspool as he reconstructs Kheya’s past and pieces together facts to seek the truth. This film that is based on a real-life incident of Keya Cha­kraborty who ruled the Bengali stage arena in the ’70s, is not a thriller. In this Debesh Chattopadhyay directorial, Paoli’s performance once again leaves us in awe.

Paoli Dam as the titular character in 'Devi', plays a rebel under an overly disciplinarian mother (Sudipa Basu) and a loving, caring father (Ardhendhu Banerjee). She becomes a soulful photographer, travelling across the world and capturing stories. But she is addicted to 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 own right and rightly steals the show.