13 September,2026 09:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Gillian Anderson played Scully in The X Files. PIC/INSTAGRAM @themittenstate; (right) Issa is an iconic character from the Gen Z show Adults (2025-). PIC/PINTEREST@tboymolloy
Song: Linger by The Cranberries (1993)
I don't think I exaggerate when I will call this song the best love song of all times. It is. But, it's also very sad. The lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, wrote the song about her first teenage heartbreak after a 17-year-old publicly dumped her at a local club. The lyrics, "But I'm in so deep, You know I'm such a fool for you, You got me wrapped around your finger, Do you have to let it linger?" will relate with everyone who has ever felt the pain that comes when someone you adored, and someone you thought won't hurt you, breaks your heart. It's still a great, great song. Listen now.
Movie: That Thing You Do (1996)
I love a good music movie, and That Thing You Do, had a cute boy band! What more could you want? It's the story of a small band called Wonders, which hits the big time when they get a manager (Tom Hanks, who also directed the movie). What follows is the trappings of fame. The band falls apart. The highlight is a sweet romance between Liv Tyler (the narcissistic lead singer's girlfriend whom he ditches) and Tom Everett Scott (the drummer). Scott would be known to Gen Z as Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher's father Adam in The Summer I Turned Pretty. Also, the music is fab. It's an album you can listen to even without watching the movie.
Personality: David Duchnovy as Fox Mulder in The X-Files
The X-Files was a show about the supernatural and extra-terrestrial, and Fox Mulder was a believer. I am a believer too, in all things "woo woo". Maybe Mulder was my rite of initiation. I still have a poster of a spaceship with the words "I want to believe", framed and hanging over my desk at home. He was also very sexy and funny. I wish that show existed on some streaming platform. Netflix, are you listening?
Movie: Tamanna (1997)
There was a time when I actually liked the movies Paresh Rawal chose. This story is centered around Rawal's character Tikku, and Pooja Bhatt (who plays Tamanna). Tikku (a trans person) finds Tamanna as a baby in a garbage bin one day, and tries to raise her on his limited means. Other than hiding the fact that she is adopted, Tikku hides the fact that he earns his livelihood as a member of the Hijra community.
The story reaches a crescendo as Tamanna is confronted with both realities. That sets off the second half of the movie. We would like Gen Z to watch this because back in 1997, this was a movie that shattered a lot of taboos. This is a movie about a trans person's humanity and dignity.
The film is also based on a true story from 1975 in what was then Bombay, where a trans hairdresser in Bollywood found and adopted a girl from a garbage bin and named her Tamanna.
Music: More Than Words by Extreme (1991)
This song is almost every Millennial's secret indulgence and is a crossover of sweet pop and hard rock. The guitar melody and the black-and-white aesthetic of the video with vocalist Gary Cherone and backing harmony by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt is one of our favourites to be honest. It was later covered by Westlife. Both versions are unforgettable.
Personality: Medha Patkar
The 1990s was when Medha Patkar made things happen in then Bombay. She became a household name because of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. For the next decade, every battle she took on became a personal battle for most Indians as well. Though her activism has been marred with accusations about her motivations, there's no denying she inspired generations to step into social work.
TV show: Ally McBeal (1997-2002)
To me, this legal comedy-drama will forever be a landmark '90s show that broke the cookie-cutter image of a career woman. Ally is intelligent but is also highly neurotic. She's very romantic, but never ties her identity to a man. The show also shone an empathetic light on neurodivergence back when hardly anyone even knew about it. It's not a perfect show, for sure. Ally's short skirts in the courtroom made me cringe even as a child. And the show was criticised heavily for glamorising anorexia. And yet, this remains my first glimpse of what a single woman's - and single mom - life can look like when it decentres men (Gilmore Girls came later).
Personality: Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully in The X-Files
Dana Scully, one of the two leads in The X-Files (1993-2002) was an entire generation's gay awakening. She was like no other woman on TV in the '90s: A bad ass who was both serious and sexy, even in the practical pantsuits she wore to avoid being hypersexualised. She was great at her job despite the men around her constantly questioning her ability, and a damn good shot! Although canonically she is straight, she remains a queer icon. It helps, of course, that the actor Gillian Anderson years later out came out as queer herself!
Song: Believe by Cher (1998)
This dance pop number was the soundtrack to all my school dances and impromptu bedroom dance breaks. At the time, Cher caught some flak for using autotune to get that iconic digital warble in the vocals, but she pioneered this "futuristic texture" trend. It was a breakup song that you could belt along with, and jump to, and come out feeling more empowered.
Personality: Chris Klemens
I have been watching Chris Klemens since I was 12 years old. Back then, he used to live with Youtuber Andrew Lowe and they were my favourite duo on the Internet. I would credit Klemens with pretty much all the humour I have. He's one of the funniest people I have ever come across.
He rose to fame with his "Man with a mic" series where he would roam the streets of LA and ask strangers questions (he did it before all the annoying vox pop TikTokers). He's also a stand up comic - how I wish I could watch him live! My favourite series is his award night reviews, where he reviews celebrity outfits from awards. His commentary is gag-alicious.
TV show: Adults (2025-)
If there's one thing Gen Z finds relatable right now, it's income insecurity. Adults brings together five 20-somethings who live in one house. The house belongs to Samir's parents, who are travelling the world, and so Samir invites all his friends to stay in his childhood home. The show is another version of the classic 20-somethings-try-to-make-it-in-NYC format, but this time, with much more financial instability. The show relies on bits, gags, and unhinged dialogue to give the viewer a good chuckle. Why I would recommend a Millennial to watch this is because Adults will make you understand why Gen Z is so nonchalant. It's not because of our youthful naivete, but because we've lost all hope. The job market is bad, salaries are bad, AI is stealing our jobs, the world is about to end because of the climate crisis - and I'm supposed to care about Excel sheets? Watch to know how Gen Z takes on problems bigger than them, all while laughing the whole time.
Musician: King Princess
I came across King Princess at the ripe age of 14 with her most famous song to date 1950. The lyrics read, "I hate it when dudes try to chase me / But I love it when you try to save me / âCause I'm just a lady / I love it when we play 1950". It's based on the 1952 lesbian novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith and it captures the most canon sapphic experience: falling in love with a straight girl who will never love you back.
Her music blends indie pop, classic rock, and heartfelt torch songs (emphasis on heartbreak), centering heavily on queer relationships. Moreover, she builds a world around her music with visuals that are heavily inspired from New York's drag scene. Other favourites I recommend are Holy and Cursed. Horny and heartbroken pretty much encapsulates the spirit of her music.
Movie: Pearl (2022)
If you like your coming-of-age stories with a generous helping of blood, Pearl (2022) is worth the watch. Ti West's psychological horror follows Pearl, a young woman trapped on an isolated farm whose dreams of becoming a star slowly spiral into obsession. Mia Goth's unhinged performance is the real reason to press play. She makes Pearl both horrifying and strangely sympathetic. It's campy, uncomfortable, and visually stunning, with a retro aesthetic that feels made for the Instagram era. Some of the most iconic memes of 2022-23 have come out of that film!
Musician: Djo
If Stranger Things (2016) made you curious about the guy behind Steve Harrington, Djo is your next stop. Joe Keery's musical project blends psychedelic pop, indie rock, and hazy electronic sounds. His tracks feel dreamy and extremely internet-coded. He is perfect for staring-out-of-the-window moments. Because when I am back in Chicago, I feel it...
Book: The Thursday Murder Club (2020)
Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (2020) follows four friends living in a retirement village who meet every Thursday to investigate unsolved murders. When a real murder lands on their doorstep, their amateur sleuthing becomes a dangerous investigation. Clever, funny, and unexpectedly emotional, it's a cosy mystery with plenty of twists. Its characters challenge stereotypes about age, relationships, and what an "ordinary" life should look like. For those that grew up reading Famous Five and the Hardy Boys, this book takes you back to that era of mystery.
Show: Derry Girls (2018)
I always recommend this show to people (no matter their age), because it's the perfect blend of perfect chaos and humour. A proper comfort show. With the backdrop of the Troubles - a very nasty time of sectarian conflict in Ireland from the '60s-'80s - a group of youngsters from the small town of Derry go through their own troubles. These include the trials of love, employment, religion, idiosyncratic parents, and war. The brilliance of this show lies in the light-hearted way it uses to showcase all of these issues and the richness of the characters. I believe the '90s setting of the show can be very entertaining for Millennials.
Personality: Aria Mia Loberti
Aria is a Fullbright Scholar, UNICEF Ambassador, author, actor and human rights advocate. All of this despite having a rare genetic eye condition called achromatopsia that causes very limited vision. None of this stops her.
In 2022, she starred in the Netflix adaptation of the novel All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. She captured the essence of the blind protagonist, Marie Laure LeBlanc, with perfection, bringing the character to life with a very raw performance.
She is a Millennial herself, but more famous among Gen Z, thanks to Netflix. But her activism and art can resonate with everyone.
Musician: Laufey
Though quite different in the kind of music she makes, Laufey always pulls at the strings of my heart like Julie Andrews or Adele. Her songs are deep, meditative, and always seem to bring out the best emotions to surface. They are all well written, be it Falling Behind, Let you break my Heart, Valentine, A Night to Remember, Slow Down⦠I can keep going. If you are among those Millennials who tend to look down on the type of music Gen Z listen to and produce, Laufey will most definitely change that.
