During a recent episode of the talk show Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle, film-makers Farah Khan and Twinkle Khanna stirred up a playful yet pointed debate when actor Ananya Panday defended Generation Z’s openness about mental health. Farah said the young cohort is “expressing it a bit too much – even getting out of something is a mental-health issue now,” while Twinkle quipped, “They are traumatised by everything.” 

The exchange exposes a generational clash: Z-ers prioritise emotional awareness and vulnerability, while older entertainers view this as oversensitivity. Ananya applauded her generation’s emotional fluency, stating, “We’re the first generation that talks about feelings… embraces mental health and freedom of expression.” 

Farah’s “sourdough” remark—“What do they know? They know about sourdough and all that”—underscores how older generations perceive Gen Z’s amplified emotional literacy as trivial. Meanwhile, Twinkle’s comment reframes the conversation: where Gen Z sees openness, seniors see constant crisis-mode.

This isn’t simply a humorous skirmish—it signals deeper tensions. Gen Z’s mental-health agenda aligns with global shifts in wellbeing discourse, but it also pressures institutions like Bollywood to adapt language and frameworks. Older creatives may feel unmoored.

For the entertainment industry, this could mean bigger changes: how casting decisions are discussed, how influencers are integrated, and how emotional authenticity is valued. Gen Z’s “trauma talk,” once niche, is becoming mainstream—and that upends traditional power dynamics.

At its core, the debate invites reflection: Is Gen Z’s heightened emotional awareness a sign of progress—or are we witnessing a culture of hypersensitivity? And how will that shape how storytellers, brands and institutions engage with younger audiences going forward?