The Brunch round-up: The week and how it made us feel

Shah Rukh Khan’s IIFA performance was an everything bagel. He looked ripped at 60 as he danced to Dard-e-Disco. He still has chemistry with Madhuri Dixit. He was fully present. Meanwhile, Ibrahim Ali Khan and Khushi Kapoor struggle to act in Nadaaniyan. No wonder Boomers are still working. Gen Z doesn’t want to!

Mattel’s Barbie flip phone is coming to India and our inner Mean Girls are squealing! The cover display is basically a mirror. The battery charger is pink. The UI has Barbie references. There’s a Malibu-themed version of Nokia’s Snake game. Okay, 1998 called. And we HAVE to pick up.

Blinks, don’t kill us. But everyone knew that Blackpink’s Jennie wasn’t a great dancer. The girls launched their solo albums. Jennie’s out with hers, Ruby. Fans have noticed that her moves are now sharper, more in-sync with the beat. She also worked with Doechii for a song, which looks super hot. Maybe Going Solo was what she needed to shine.

Attention, foreign celebs seeking the Mumbai Experience on their trips. Please get in touch with Shawn Mendes’s people. He was in Mumbai for Lollapalooza, but his side-quests were so cool: A classical music training sesh with kids, chappal shopping, performing Senorita on the street. See how he wore an India jersey on stage, nodding to the Champions finals. No notes!

The Harry Potter series casting is going so slowly, ugh! Paapa Essiedu is in talks to play Snape. We’re all for inclusivity (Give us a Black James Bond already!). But a Black man playing a character that used to be a KKK-coded supremacist? Seems hopelessly tangled up! Plus, James Potter bullies Snape in the books by dangling him upside down. The show better lawyer-up in advance.

’90s kids went to Lollapalooza to catch Green Day. But some line-ups must have been so confusing. Is Lil Gamby a new rapper? Are The Croffle Guys the new Backstreet Boys? Who is Boba Bhai? Are Sweetish House Mafia and Cookie Cartel mafia bands? Turns out these were just the food stalls. Sigh! Don’t you miss Shiv Sagar, Nirula’s, Wraps & Rolls and a simpler time?

Sit down, Pixar. The biggest animated movie of all time isn’t even from Hollywood. The Chinese film Ne Zha 2 features a sassy three-year-old who fights monsters and immortals, and has pulled $2 billion already. China’s films are typically bland and jingoistic. This one sounds like fun. We’ve banned TikTok . Let this movie in, please?

Guess who posted a review of the White Lotus chain? The Michelin Guide. The fictitious hotels would never pass their inspectors’ strict standards, they say. The meals are dull, the management unhinged, the cultural experiences absent. They haven’t reviewed the Thai outpost from S3, but it’s not looking promising. We’re just glad that the world’s stuffiest reviewers have a sense of humour.