Actor Sonali Bendre says streaming platforms have opened up new avenues for actors to explore different facets of their craft, something that’s not always possible in mainstream cinema.Bendre played a grieving mother in Prime Video’s series Raakh, a story that was inspired by the Ranga Billa case in the 1970s. She is returning to the small screen as the host of reality show, Pati Patni Aur Panga, which is currently airing on Colors TV channel and JioHotstar.”Everything has its own time. Due to OTT and multiplexes, the scope of narrating different kinds of stories has increased. At that time (90s), in mainstream cinema, you had to show a kind of film in which some things are necessary because you needed to cater to every strata of society… Business compulsions are different,” Bendre said.”From the time multiplexes came in, these compulsions changed. Like, niche audience can be entertained and you can tell different kinds of stories. When different types of stories can be told, then as an actor, you get a chance to play different type of roles. So, it’s a great opportunity that, we have now,” she said.One of the most popular Bollywood actresses of the 1990s, Bendre worked in hits such as Diljale, Zakhm, Duplicate, Hum Saath Saath Hain and Sarfarosh.She made her OTT debut with the critically-acclaimed series, The Broken News (2022), in which she played the role of Amina Qureshi, a strong, principled woman.Bendre said she is open to returning to the big screen, which she believes offers a distinct experience. Her last theatrical film was Akshay Kumar-starrer, “Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!” in 2013.”Big screen is big screen and it has its own charm. Some stories are such, which are fun to watch on the big screen. If I get a role, then I will do it,” she added.The 51-year-old actor, however, said she has become more conscious of the time and effort she invests in a project.”There is an age where you are not that selective. Now, I feel that I have only this much time, so I’ve to do a lot of different things in that. So, I think whether is it worth it for me to give that time?” The actor said the reality show came as a welcome break for her after having worked on crime-thriller series, Raakh.”When I shot for Raakh, for those three-four months there was a certain kind of heaviness to it. After Raakh got over, the first offer I received was for Pati Patni Aur Panga. So, after this dark show, I said, ‘I need to laugh’. So, for me, this opportunity, I thought, was god sent because it comes after a dark subject like Raakh. This show was like, ‘Laugh, enjoy’, it is all about having fun.”Pati Patni Aur Panga features popular celebrity couples such as Rahul Vaidya and Disha Parmar, Arjun Bijlani and Neha Swami Bijlani, Shabir Ahluwalia and Kanchi Kaul, Deepika Singh and Rohit Raj Goyal, Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya and Vivek Dahiya, Manoj Tiwari and Surabhi Tiwari, and Archana Puran Singh and Parmeet Sethi.Asked about the scrutiny actors face today, Bendre said this is no longer just limited to the entertainment industry.”This scrutiny is not just for actors, it’s for everyone. I pity the generation because the kids who are growing up now, they have so much pressure in their lives. We never had so much pressure in our lives.”When you come into the industry, you expect this is going to happen. But this is happening to everybody. Who is not being judged? Every kid, every person is being judged,” the actor said. — PTI