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.
Bengali film career 2006–2008 Dam's debut Bengali film
Teen Yaari Katha, (directed by Sudeshna Roy and Abhijit Guha), began in 2004, but was not released until 2012. Her first film release was
Agnipariksha (2006). The film was directed by Ravi Kinagi and produced by Debendra Kuchar; Dam played a supporting role. 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. Dam's third Bengali film release was
I Love You, in which she had a supporting role as the heroine's friend. 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.
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, and her performance was praised. In its review,
The Times of India found Dam making "sincere efforts in portraying the role of Kamli". The actress later said in an interview that she learned a great deal from working with Ghose. The actress played Paoli, a Bengali girl, and the film triggered controversy in India when an explicit unsimulated no-body-double sex scene with Dam and
Anubrata Basu was leaked on the Internet.
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" 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". In
Teen Yaari Katha, the actress played a supporting role. Dam also appeared in
Mainak Bhaumik's
Family Album. The film, also starring Swastika Mukherjee, deals with an MMS scandal. In 2014, Dam acted in
Chaya Manush. In the film, directed by Arindam De, she played Trisha, a journalist. Later that year, Dam acted in
Obhishopto Nighty (
cursed nighty), directed by
Birsa Dasgupta. Dam played the character of Miss Monica, a Bengali bar singer of the 1980s in the comedy-romantic film. Dam said that she was initially reluctant to accept the role, but later realised that it was a "love story". Her next releases were the drama film
Sada Canvas and the romantic comedy
Hercules, directed by Abhijit Guha and Sudeshna Roy. Dam described her character in
Hercules, Minu, as "practical, grounded and not driven by emotions". Her first 2015 release was
Anjan Das'
Ajana Batash, in which she played Deepa, who works in an ad agency in Kolkata, "lost in depression amongst all the affluence". Dam's upcoming films include Debesh Chattopadhyay's
Natoker Moto - Like a Play which, according to Dam, was a "fictional biopic of a famous actress of the Bengali stage during the 1970s", and Swarup Ghosh's rom-com
Tobuo Aparichito.
Bollywood career '', her debut Bollywood film In 2012, Dam made her Bollywood debut in
Hate Story, directed by
Vivek Agnihotri and produced by
Vikram Bhatt. The film had female protagonists; Dam played Kavyah Krishna, a sex worker. In the film, she and her friend Vicky pull off a caper against one of India's biggest business tycoons. Dam's performance in this film received a lukewarm response.
The Times of India in its review: 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. 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". After attending a special screening of the film in Mumbai, Indian film critic and journalist
Taran Adarsh called Dam and said that she should work more in Bollywood. Dam performed an
item number in the 2014 comedy-horror film
Gang of Ghosts, directed by
Satish Kaushik. Dam is scheduled to appear in the Hindi film
Yaara Silly Silly, directed by Subhash Sehgal. == Other films ==