As Susan Sarandon takes the stage at 79, Mumbai’s seniors share their scripts for a fulfilling second act

In the seventh age of her life instead of slipping into lean pantaloons as the Bard famously suggests Susan Sarandon stepped debuted on the UK stage earlier this month in Tracy Lettrsquos Mary Page Marlowe But it is not always an easy transition to makeSusan Sarandon PicGetty ImagesEven the 79yearold Sarandon admitted to being ldquoterrified and excitedrdquo in an interview to the UK Vogue But how does one push past the fear of perceptions to shift lanes in the second half of your life Three seniors from Mumbai spill the beans about owning this journey and savouring their experienceI discovered my freedomSunila Ashok YouTuber 62 ThaneI learned Bharatanatyam during my school years and would accompany my father at community events But when I got married at the age of 22 the focus shifted to education and marriage It was during the COVID19 pandemic when I returned to my old hobby I would choreograph songs for my friendsrsquo group to share on WhatsApp as a fun activity When a teenage neighbour in the housing colony asked if anyone wants to join an online Bollywood dance class I signed upMy children helped to set up a YouTube channel for me In fact Anushka her neighbour joined me in a choreography of lsquoAaj phir jeene ki tamanna hairsquo from the film Guide I was initially hesitant to share my videos online When Waheeda Rehman was nominated for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2023 the video went viral Many people thought it was her she laughsThe validation gave me a sense of confidence to try more dance forms It does not always work I attended a Bollywood dance workshop While it was fun I realised that the steps were too fast and not for me That does not worry me at all At this age I have discovered a sense of freedom There is no need to do things perfectly It is fine to accept that your body has limitations Even on YouTube I just post something I liked doing for the fun of it No matter your age do something you love Start slow and you will realise that the joy of doing it will push the negativity away Log on to mayookha on YouTubeForget your past to start againArvind Kumar Upadhyay 72 former CEO VersovaMy profession was in the textile industry in Indore for over 40 years While I was on this break I signed up for an acting class in 202223 My wife put me up to it As luck would have it I ended up discovering a whole new career and acting in movies and series When I joined the class my peers were all teenagers or in their 20s My acting teachers would treat me as a senior sometimes I would refuse and sit on the ground just like the other students Being with youngsters helps you to forget your ageIt is not difficult to start anew But it requires one important thing mdash forget the past You have to start again at the bottom That is where most people struggle Learn to be unafraid to embarrass yourself Forget what others are doing or what your children would think Let go of that part Otherwise you will wallow in the past and your body grows sickLog on tokumar_arvindupadhyayNever lose your sense of funVenkateswaran Akhileshwaran 68 former pathologist AndheriI was in my 50s when my daughter wanted to sign up for a Shiamak Davar batch I remember asking her lsquoWho is Shiamak Davarrsquo She was so embarrassed It was a 45minute drive to Juhu and I was bored of waiting Instinctively I asked someone at the troupe if I could sign up too They said yes and I did I was the oldest in the troupe and my daughter was the youngest member I havenrsquot stopped sinceVenkateswaran Akhileshwaran with Aamir KhanIn fact I met many choreographers during this who called me over for auditions You might see me in the opening song of Jagga Jasoos I did a music video with Armaan Malik and even with Aamir Khan in the closing track for Sitaare Zameen Par 2025In Sitaare Zameen Par Pic CourtesyZee Music Company on YouTubeThe ldquokeedardquo for dance was always there from college I suppose But we are in a culture or society where people of a certain age are told to behave a certain way If you think of yourself as old your brain accepts it Retain your sense of fun It is always better to start early in life but start Otherwise you will lose out on the little time you have Just take care of your health As long as you are healthy you are freeLog on to venkyuncle