Paoli Dam was born on October 4, 1980, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She hails from a Bengali family with roots in Faridpur, now in Bangladesh. Dam pursued her education at Loreto School and later earned a postgraduate degree in chemistry from Rajabazar Science College. Initially aspiring to be a chemical researcher or a pilot, she made her acting debut in the Bengali television series "Jibon Niye Khela" in 2003. Her first film, "Teen Yaari Katha," began production in 2004 but was released only in 2012. Dam gained popularity through her role in the acclaimed film "Kaalbela" (2009) and received international recognition for her performance in "Chatrak" (2011), which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. She ventured into Bollywood with "Hate Story" (2012) and has continued to work in both Bengali and Hindi cinema. Paoli Dam is currently not publicly known to be married.