Capital gains?: Even as the “fair delimitation” meet convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dominated the news, political circles in Chennai were abuzz with the Delhi visits of two VIPs from the state. One visit was by Stalin’s son-in-law, V. Sabareesan. As per sources, he went to Delhi for a “special dinner meeting”. While there, he met DMK MPs and his photos with them have been shared on social media, but no news has come out about the dinner meet. The other was a short visit by Electricity and Excise Minister V. Senthil Balaji, who is on bail in the cash-for-job scam. It is said that Balaji went to meet senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi and sign a few papers after the Enforcement Directorate moved the Supreme Court seeking to cancel his bail. The discussion with Rohatgi seems to have given Balaji confidence, given that the Tamil Nadu excise department soon moved the Madras High Court against the ED for raiding TASMAC premises.

Pageant politics: Hyderabad is gearing up to host the Miss World pageant this May. But, well before the contestants could showcase their catwalk, political parties have got into a catfight. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi has alleged that the ruling Congress is wasting public money—to the tune of Rs200 crore—on the event at a time when the state is facing a financial crunch. The BRS argues that the funds should have been directed towards welfare schemes to support distressed sections like farmers. The Congress government, meanwhile, is treating the prestigious event as an opportunity to brand Telangana. Government representatives have clarified that only Rs54 crore was being spent and that the state’s contribution was half of that. The Congress also taunted the BRS for failing to bring such an event to the state during its 10 years in power.

Who stole our kids?: It seems Bollywood is flocking en-masse to the British crime drama Adolescence, about the online world of misogyny, toxic masculinity and self-loathing faced by teens today. After Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap, it is now Karan Johar’s turn to comment on it. He called it a “blasterclass” for parents. “I grew up on conversations, they speak in emojis.... I grew up on books, they scroll reels.... I grew up on self-discovery, they are surrounded by comparisons,” posted Johar on Instagram. “This gut-wrenching show is more a mirror to parenting and social media commentary than anything I’ve been impacted by recently.” For a father who is raising twins, he sure has a storm brewing in his Koffee cup | Amey Mansabdar

Strumming her pain: The ‘Lizzbians’ have got their fizz back. Their idol—four-time Grammy winner Lizzo—is all set to play the godmother of rock n’ roll, Rosetta Tharpe, in the Amazon MGM Studios biopic, Rosetta. “As she shatters musical boundaries with her signature guitar sound, Rosetta must navigate societal constraints, conceal her love for another woman, and ultimately transform a wedding into one of the most legendary concerts in history—the first stadium show,” stated a description of the project. And who better to play Rosetta than Lizzo. From securing the rights to the phrase ‘100% That Bi**h’ to becoming the first to play former American president James Madison’s 200-year-old crystal flute, not many can match Lizzo’s pizazz! | Getty Images

The duchess dialogues: Meghan Markle did give the likes of Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow a run for their mushroom barley soup with her recent lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan. You could love her or hate her, but you couldn’t ignore her or her jarring preserves and harvest baskets. Not satisfied with plying her viewers with her aspirational pep talk, the Duchess of Sussex is now coming out with a new podcast—‘Confessions of a Female Founder’. In it, she chats with female entrepreneurs and friends about “the sleepless nights, the lessons learned and the laser focus that got them to where they are today”. It looks like we might overdose on the Markle sparkle, but hey, here’s the good news: At least this time, we don’t have to feel guilty that our towels are not scented with lavender | Getty Images