Mumbai, June 9 (AHN) Actress Sonali Bendre revealed that her role in "Raakh" made her realise that protecting yourself as a person and being open as an actor are not mutually exclusive.

She added that playing Mona Arora in the OTT series gave her the opportunity to explore some uncomfortable and complex emotions.

Sonali's role, shaped by grief, loss, and resilience in the aftermath of a massive tragedy, marked her return as an actor into the emotionally demanding territory.

Sharing the impact the project had on her on a personal level, Sonali said, "Over the last few years, I found myself naturally gravitating towards stories that felt lighter emotionally. So when Raakh came along, I did wonder what it would be like to spend so much time in such an intense emotional space. What surprised me was realising that I was able to engage with those emotions without carrying them home with me. As an actor, that was reassuring."

Sonali further stated that the experience reminded her that one can go to difficult places at work and still continue to remain grounded in themselves.

Speaking about the personal takeaways from working on "Raakh", Sonali shared that the project made her rethink something she hadn't consciously examined earlier.

"I realised that protecting yourself as a person and being open as an actor are not mutually exclusive. Raakh allowed me to explore emotions that are uncomfortable and complex, while also trusting that I could step away from them when the work was done. That was an important discovery for me," revealed Sonali.

Starring Ali Fazal, Sonali Bendre, and Aamir Bashir as the core cast, "Raakh" has been directed and executive produced by Prosit Roy.

The show has been created, written, and co-directed by Anusha Nandakumar and Sandeep Saket.

Backed by Endemol Shine India, along with BhaDiPa, the series is expected to premiere on Prime Video on June 12 in India and also across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.