Paoli Dam is an Indian actress who started her career with the Bengali television serial Jibon Niye Khela (2003). She then 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—began in 2004, but was not released until 2012. Dam's first film release was Agnipariksha, directed by Ravi Kinagi. Between 2006 and 2009, she appeared in five Bengali films, coming into prominence with the 2009 Kaalbela, directed by Goutam Ghose.

Hate Story is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language erotic thriller film directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Vikram Bhatt. It stars Nikhil Dwivedi, Gulshan Devaiya and Paoli Dam and the film was released on 20 April 2012. The first installment in the Hate Story film series the film was a commercial and critical success. The premise of the film chronicles a woman and her struggle to fight against the man that betrayed her. The film was controversial when the lead actress accused maker Vivek Agnihotri of sexual harassment.