Bushra Ansari feels no need to lie about her age

Bushra Ansari has turned 69 years old and she's not shying away from it. In a video shared on her YouTube channel, the veteran took the opportunity of completing another year around the sun to question why age becomes a taboo topic as one grows older.

"I have no problems with my age," she stated. "On a slightly serious note, this is such a weird phenomenon. No matter what age you are, you have many experiences to take from it. It's a learning process. It's all thanks to Allah that despite so many difficulties, I've learned so much. And if I have thankfully been living an active life up to this point, then I should be happy about it."

Bushra, who turned 69 on Thursday, recalled that it was common in her time for people to hide their ages for multiple reasons, from hopes of scoring better roles to securing agreeable marriage proposals. Meanwhile, she once went out on the field, unapologetically carrying her toddler.

"People tend to get conscious when it comes to age, worried even. Actually, age-shaming is also a problematic factor here. People are always telling others to 'act their age'," she observed. "I've said this before. The soul should be young. Why pay attention to the body?"

The Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum actor mentioned that she has seen younger people lacking spirit, adding that living a life filled with joy is a way of expressing gratitude towards life.

"I've never been worried about people finding out about my age. Why shouldn't they? I've been appearing on TV since I was 9 years old. I'm not going to lie to you like other people do, and why should I? Please tell me how that would benefit me. Will I steal Mahira Khan's roles or Hania Aamir's spotlight?" she joked.

Bushra is grateful that she's led a respectable career thus far and hopes that fans pray for her to stay fit through it. "Even those who are bitter towards me should just pray - for me and for themselves to always stay active," she said.

In line with her wishes, fans flooded the comments section with love and prayers. "Happy birthday, Bushra ji! I hope you always keep laughing and smiling like this," one user wrote, while another said, "Masha Allah, you are a very carefree and lively person, someone who stays happy in every state. Happy birthday!"