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The iconic Mahira Khan is unbothered by comments about age, and she’s letting everyone know that she will continue to be honest about who she is.

During an interview with Independent Urdu, Khan was asked her thoughts on recent stories being published about actors’ ages, to which the Humsafar star said she wants to continue being her authentic self.

“I was sitting with my mother and father, eating food, and my mother said she saw someone saying terrible things which she didn’t like,” Khan said, adding that her mother questioned if she had to be honest about her age.

“I said yes, I will do that because I am that person. I never hid when I got married, or divorced, or that I have a child, or how old he is, or how old I am. That is me. I want to remain truthful to myself, I don’t care about anybody else.”

She continued that she welcomed other people’s opinions and was not bothered by them because she was very aware of herself. The actor said when she was offered certain roles, she often repeatedly highlighted that they weren’t age appropriate and was ‘particular’ about it.

“It doesn’t bother me. I want at least myself and the next generation to be comfortable.”

Her comments come after YouTuber Dr Omer Adil criticised Khan’s latest film Love Guru for close-ups of her face and said that no attempts were made to conceal Khan’s age because her fine lines and wrinkles were visible.

Indian ban on Pakistani celebrities’ social media

When asked about her reaction to India banning Pakistani celebrities’ social media handles after the conflict that broke out between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, Khan said she had “zero reactions.”

The interviewer then questioned if she didn’t care, and Khan simply shrugged. “I still love the fans. The fans are fans, the people are people. That is eventually linked to politics, but this is a political game; to shut things down and to ban things. I don’t believe in that.”

The actor also highlighted that it was strange how, during times of war or political turmoil, the first attack was on artists. “Because artists are the people and art is the thing that connects people, which is why it’s the first thing banned. If this dies, there’s no love. We [actors] are, as they say, soft power.”

Khan maintained that she didn’t know if the ban caused any losses, adding that if films shut down, she would work in dramas.

“If you say films shutting down is a loss for me, well, actually, I’m an actor, you make me do theatre, or something else. So yes, maybe there’s a bigger loss, but I think right now is not the time to talk about it.”

Love Guru

Talking about Love Guru, Khan said she was very grateful to God for the movie’s success because it was important for everyone involved.

“But then you move forward, you think, ‘what’s my next project?’ and delve into that. I think that’s true for actors, including me.” She revealed that she was currently reading two scripts and contemplating what to do.

After seeing Love Guru being promoted in New York’s Times Square, Khan’s initial thought, she said, was, “That’s cool,” followed by the hope that her co-star Humayun Saeed doesn’t wander off because the two had to film a reel together.

The actor also joked that her next film with Saeed would be after two decades, and added that before Love Guru the two were going to do another film, “an intense love story” that was very close to her heart.

Other projects

When asked if she planned to do an action-packed film, Khan said she would, whenever she got an offer, adding that she was currently in talks with someone about such a project.

“In Maula Jatt, I had no action scenes. I wish I did.”

About her upcoming film Neelofar, the actor said she wanted people to watch it because it was made with a lot of love.

“If it’s good or not is another matter, that is Neelofar’s destiny. But, we made it with a lot of love.”

Khan also said that her character in the upcoming Netflix show, Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo, Pakistan’s first show for the streaming giant, was unlike anything she’s done before.

“I’ve never been to that zone before. People will be surprised to watch it.”