From Kolhapuris to Coldplay: What Indians scroll through on Instagram in 2025

New Delhi: Instagram’s 2025 Year-in-Review highlights how Indian culture reached global audiences, cricket dominated conversations, nostalgia and lo-fi aesthetics influenced trends, and viral moments, from Kolhapuris to Coachella to everyday memes, kept people engaged throughout the year.

2025 was marked by a series of significant and unpredictable events. Each new development often sparked lengthy discussions, sometimes overshadowing earlier moments. Indian culture continued to make its presence felt internationally, while domestic social media trends reflected a mix of entertainment, sports, and everyday life.

Cricket’s Instagram takeover

Cricket maintained its position as a central pillar of Indian pop culture, dominating both Instagram conversations and national attention. Key moments included India’s Champions Trophy victory, which prompted widespread celebration, RCB’s chant “Ee Sala Cup Namdu” going viral as fans celebrated their team’s success, Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket, and the Indian women’s cricket team’s World Cup win.

Kolhapuris to Coachella: Cultural Crossover

Indian culture continued to reach international stages, with Hanumankind performing at Coachella, actors Shah Rukh Khan, Kiara Advani, and musician Diljit Dosanjh attending the Met Gala, luxury brands embracing the Indian Kolhapuri chappal, and tracks by A.R. Rahman used in global runway shows. 

At the same time, Indians actively engaged with global trends and fandoms, whether through Ed Sheeran’s India tour, the Nicki Minaj pose, Taylor Swift’s engagement, or Cristiano Ronaldo’s engagement, generating significant attention on Instagram.

Nostalgia and aesthetics shaping feeds

Nostalgia remained a prominent trend, continuing from the previous year. Fandoms around films like Wake Up Sid, characters such as Bunny from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and songs like “Nadaan Parinde” and “Shehar Mein” from Rockstar grew further. The lo-fi digicam aesthetic became widely popular in carousels and reels, embraced by both Gen Z and young adults.

People who kept Instagram buzzing

Several individuals captured Instagram’s attention in 2025. These included the girl resembling Mona Lisa at the Mahakumbh, Ayush, who mispronounced “croissant” as “Prashant”, Sonali, a mehendi artist from Kolhapur who recreated Rihanna’s wedding makeup look, and Sudhanshu Shukla, the first Indian in 40 years to travel to the International Space Station. Samay Raina also remained a focus of discussion, with conversations about him and India’s Got Latent continuing throughout the year.

Micro-moments that kept people scrolling

Everyday viral moments also shaped engagement on Instagram. Highlights included the ‘langdi’ hook step by actor Veer Pahariya, debates about the 90-hour work week, snippets from Shark Tank India 4, the Coldplay concert moment that drew a million viewers, ‘fake wedding’ parties, the Labubus trend, the glowing turmeric trend, Parineeti Chopra’s line “meri body main sensations” from Hasee Toh Phasee, the “Vishal Mega Mart” meme, and the popularity of 5120×1080 ultra-wide thin reels.