India’s Instagram culture in 2025 saw cricket, nostalgia and global cultural crossovers dominate

2025 was a year full of big and unpredictable moments. It featured a multitude of events that sparked long conversations, with each new event often overshadowing the previous one. It was also a year when Indian culture continued to be exported to the world. Instagram has released its 2025 Year-in-Review, presenting an all-encompassing view of the people and moments that shaped culture this year on the platform.

Cricket’s Instagram Takeover

Cricket reaffirmed its status as the central pillar of Indian pop culture, dominating both Instagram conversations and national sentiment. Some key moments included India’s Champions Trophy win, which sparked a wave of patriotic celebration; RCB’s chant “Ee Sala Cup Namdu” becoming a viral meme as fans finally saw their team triumph; Virat Kohli’s emotional retirement from Test cricket and the most recent victory by the Indian women’s cricket team at the World Cup.

Kolhapuris to Coachella

Indian culture continued to be exported to the world—this time with Hanumankind performing at Coachella, actors Shah Rukh Khan, Kiara Advani and music artist Diljit Dosanjh attending the Met Gala, luxury brands embracing the Indian Kolhapuri chappal, and tracks by artists like A.R. Rahman were used to helm international runways. The reverse was also true, with Indians actively participating in global trends and fandoms—whether it was Ed Sheeran’s India tour, the Nicki Minaj pose, Taylor Swift’s engagement, or Cristiano Ronaldo’s engagement—all of which created huge excitement on Instagram.

Nostalgia and Aesthetics 

Nostalgia continues to be a prominent cultural trend, carrying over from last year into this one. Fandoms are still growing around movies like Wake Up Sid, characters such as Bunny from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and songs like “Nadaan Parinde” and “Shehar Mein” from the movie Rockstar. The lo-fi digi-cam aesthetic has become massively prevalent in carousels and reels, embraced by both Gen Z and young adults alike.

People Who Kept Instagram Buzzing

Like every year, there were individuals who captured the platform’s imagination. This included the girl who resembled Mona Lisa at the Mahakumbh, the boy, Ayush, who mispronounced “croissant” as “Prashant”, Sonali, the mehendi artist from Kohlapur who recreated Rihanna’s wedding make-up look, and Sudhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station in 40 years. Conversations about Samay Raina and the show India’s Got Latent persisted throughout the year.

Micro-Moments

Lastly, there were the everyday moments that kept our daily lives interesting. These were the viral trends that sparked conversations, shares, reposts, or a bundle of memes. Highlights included the viral ‘langdi’ hook step by actor Veer Pahariya, the debate about the 90-hour work week, snippets from Shark Tank India 4, the viral moment from the Coldplay concert that drew a million eyeballs, the trend of ‘fake wedding’ parties, the fascination with Labubus, the glowing turmeric trend, actor Parineeti Chopra’s “meri body main sensations” dialogue from the movie Hasee Toh Phasee, the “Vishal Mega Mart” meme, and the popularity of 5120×1080 ultra-wide thin reels.