From Cricket to Kolhapuris and Coachella: What India searched on Instagram in 2025

Meta-owned Instagram has released its 2025 Year-in-Review report, highlighting what Indians searched on the social media platform. According to Instagram, Cricket remained one of the most discussed topics in India during 2025.

Key moments included India’s Champions Trophy win, the widespread use of the RCB chant “Ee Sala Cup Namdu” after the team secured its title, Virat Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket, and the Indian women’s cricket team winning the World Cup. These events generated sustained activity and conversation on the platform.

Indian culture goes global

As per Instagram, Indian cultural elements continued to appear in events outside the country.

Hanumankind performed at Coachella, while Shah Rukh Khan, Kiara Advani and Diljit Dosanjh attended the Met Gala. International fashion brands featured the Kolhapuri chappal, and tracks by A.R. Rahman were used in runway shows. The platform also noted high engagement from Indian users around global events such as Ed Sheeran’s India tour, the Nicki Minaj pose trend, Taylor Swift’s engagement and Cristiano Ronaldo’s engagement.

Instagram said nostalgia-driven content continued to appear frequently, including references to films like Wake Up Sid, characters from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and songs from the film Rockstar.Several individuals drew significant interest on the Meta-owned photo and video sharing platform in 2025. These included a girl at the Mahakumbh who resembled the Mona Lisa, a boy named Ayush whose pronunciation of “croissant” as “Prashant” went viral, and a mehendi artist from Kolhapur who recreated Rihanna’s wedding look.Sudhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian in 40 years to travel to the International Space Station, was also among the individuals who drew attention. Comedian Samay Raina and discussions around the show India’s Got Latent maintained consistent engagement.

Instagram’s micro trends of 2025

Instagram noted several micro-trends that produced widespread sharing and reposting. Examples included actor Veer Pahariya’s “langdi” dance step, discussions around the 90-hour work week, clips from Shark Tank India 4, viral moments from a Coldplay concert, and posts related to “fake wedding” parties.Other high-engagement trends included the Labubu toy craze, turmeric-based content, Parineeti Chopra’s “meri body main sensations” line from Hasee Toh Phasee, the “Vishal Mega Mart” meme, and the growing use of 5120×1080 ultra-wide reels.