MUMBAI: Go… going… gone! Just like that, 2025 is almost ready to wave goodbye. The year turned out to be one of the most exciting phases for Indian entertainment. No single medium dominated the cultural mood. Films bounced back with confidence, OTT built bigger worlds and bolder stories, audio series created a universe of their own, and music travelled across languages and borders without hesitation. They were loyal to good stories and unforgettable experiences. Here are the 10 biggest moments that shaped how India watched, listened and fell in love with entertainment in 2025.
1. Saiyaara (Theatrical release) became the surprise love anthem of the year
In a market full of large-scale films, Saiyaara won people over with its quiet charm. Debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda delivered a tender love story that felt honest, emotional and beautifully simple. Viewers cried in theatres. Word of mouth made the film unstoppable. The success of Saiyaara that collected over 570 crores at the box office, proved that intimate storytelling still has the power to shine on the big screen.
2. Chhaava (Theatrical release) ruled the box office with pride and power.
Chhaava brought Maratha history to life with strong performances from Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna. The film that garnered over 800 crores worldwide showed India’s growing love for region-based stories told with scale and authenticity. It reminded everyone that stories of valour and courage based on depiction of true events can drive national success when presented with heart.
3. The Ba***ds of Bollywood (OTT Series on Netflix) became the talk of the town.
Aryan Khan’s directorial on Netflix, which is a genre-bending satire didn’t tiptoe, it detonated. With insider jokes, industry critique, stardom myth-busting and a cheeky narrative lens, The Ba***ds of Bollywood became the buzziest OTT moment of the year. Audiences validated a growing appetite: Bollywood was no longer shy about interrogating its own glamour machinery. Transparency, irrelevance and self-awareness now drive cultural conversation and this show led the charge.
4. The Family Man Season 3 (OTT Series on Amazon Prime) pushed Indian spy storytelling to a new level.
The latest chapter took Srikant Tiwari into a complex Northeast conflict while keeping his family’s struggles at the core. Manoj Bajpayee and the ensemble cast delivered intensity and emotion in equal measure. The new season reinforced India’s ability to create world-class thrillers that feel both local and global.
5. Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle (OTT Talk Show on Amazon Prime) brought back the charm of fun, fearless chat shows.
Kajol and Twinkle Khanna made audiences laugh and thoroughly entertained with their unfiltered questions, candid conversations and banter with stars such as Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ananya Panday and more. With appearances from top stars and conversations laced with humour, inside jokes and interesting anecdotes - the show created a space where celebrity talk felt real, witty and wonderfully unpredictable.
6. Shaktimaan Returns (Audio Series on Pocket FM) revived superhero nostalgia for a new generation.
Shaktimaan Returns arrived as an audio-first reinvention of India’s most iconic superhero, powered by Mukesh Khanna’s unmistakable voice and a lush soundscape that resurrected the spinning chakra and moral universe of an entire generation. Bringing a wave of ‘90s nostalgia in a year of content chaos, the audio series on Pocket FM restored a clarity and conviction in storytelling that felt both familiar and urgent. Its arrival underlined India’s renewed craving for heroes with heart, stories with moral fibre, and universes where good versus evil was thrilling. The impact was seismic, with millennials reliving their childhood while Gen Z discovering Shaktimaan as a modern mythic force.
7. Mahagatha (Audio Series on Pocket FM) proved that mythology can shine in the audio era.
Mahagatha emerged as a thriller–fantasy audio epic from Ayodhya-based writer Suraj Mauryavanshi, charting the journey of Neil Vayuputra, once a prince, now a slave, torn between saving his sister and saving humanity from an ancient threat. What made it work was its ability to blend blockbuster stakes with raw emotional urgency, offering pacing, ambience and mythology-meets-fantasy world-building that created a fully immersive addiction for listeners. The audio series showed that India’s appetite for mythology hasn’t waned; it merely needed reinvention in a medium where imagination is the special effect. The impact spoke for itself: with 40.9 million plays, Mahagatha became both a phenomenon and a case study in the new creator economy, where talent can transcend geography, background and medium, and where a former account executive can rise as one of Pocket FM’s breakout stars.
8. Uyi Amma (Song) turned music into a national obsession
The Hindi track from the film Azaad exploded across social media thanks to its addictive beat and Rasha Tandon’s breakout performance. But what supercharged its virality was Rasha Tandon herself, whose performance in the song turned her into an overnight sensation. It became the soundtrack for reels, dance videos and college performances across India. The song proved that language no longer limits how far a great track can travel.
9. Deewaniyat Title Track (Song) added fire to the return of big-screen romance
Vishal Mishra’s powerful voice, Kunaal Vermaa’s heartfelt writing and Kaushik Guddu’s striking music created a romantic anthem that audiences instantly embraced. Sonam Bajwa and Harshvardhan Rane’s chemistry made the music video a visual treat. The track gave the Diwali release Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat a strong emotional identity and became one of the most replayed love songs of the year.
10. Food with Farah (Digital Show) turned comfort viewing into a cultural trend.
Farah Khan, with her signature humour and delicious chaos, created a digital-format winner that audiences embraced as their new go-to entertaining cookery show. With her staff Dilip as the show’s secret sauce, Food with Farah humanised celebrities, spotlighted food-driven nostalgia, and proved that comfort-viewing is now a major category in India. The show opens the doors to the kitchens of India’s favourite stars, revealing what they eat, how they behave in an unguarded culinary space, and even puts their cooking skills to test. The rise of “soft entertainment”, low-stakes, personality-heavy, feel-good content, became one of the strongest behavioural shifts of the year.
As 2025 prepares to sign off, one thing is clear. India embraced every format, every genre and every kind of creative experiment. It was a year where storytelling felt fearless and audiences felt more open than ever. With 2026 right around the corner, now is the best time to revisit these highlights and dive back into the moments that made this year unforgettable.
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