In 2025, India’s cultural landscape quietly began recalibrating itself. Across music, wellness, entertainment and digital media, creators and brands showed a renewed commitment to tradition – reimagined
through contemporary tools. From AI-powered mythological storytelling to sound-led wellness practices and heritage-driven beauty rituals, the year marked a shift toward cultural authenticity without nostalgia.
These movements were not isolated experiments but indicators of a bigger change in how India engages with its past. As technology evolves and audiences become more intentional, ancient wisdom is finding new relevance in modern formats. Together, these trends are poised to shape India’s cultural landscape well into 2026.
AI-Powered Storytelling with an Indian Soul
In November 2025, BIG FM launched BIG Ramayana, an industry-first AI-powered audio-visual series that reimagined the epic for digital-first audiences. Narrated by actor Saurabh Raaj Jain, the project retold the story of Ram through short-form reels that blended mythology with machine learning. Accompanied by the BIG Ramayana Anthem, the initiative demonstrated how technology could amplify and not dilute traditional storytelling.
This wasn’t an isolated moment. Jio Hotstar’s Mahabharat: Ek Dharmayudh, an AI-generated mythological series released the same year, crossed 26.5 million views within weeks, signalling strong audience appetite for culturally rooted narratives presented through new media.
In 2026, this approach is expected to expand beyond epics into regional folklore, oral histories and devotional storytelling. AI will increasingly function as a cultural collaborator by preserving narratives while adapting them for evolving consumption patterns.
Music as a Wellness Practice, Not Just Entertainment
Sound has always held a sacred place in Indian culture, from Vedic chants to temple bells. In 2025, this ancient understanding found renewed relevance as music increasingly intersected with wellness. Vedic sounds, classical ragas and devotional compositions began shaping mindful practices around meditation, yoga and emotional balance.
Vedam Records, launched under Universal Music India, exemplified this shift by curating Indian classical and spiritual compositions designed for intentional listening – whether for sleep, healing or grounding. By presenting these sounds in accessible digital formats, labels are bridging the gap between ancient sonic traditions and contemporary wellness needs.
As wellness continues to move beyond fitness into mental and emotional health, music rooted in Indian philosophy is set to become a central pillar of everyday self-care through 2026 and beyond.
Creators and Celebrities Reclaiming Indian Roots
Heritage-led thinking has also reshaped beauty and grooming narratives. In 2025, creators and celebrity-founded brands began foregrounding Indian ingredients, rituals and philosophies as part of modern wellness routines.
Brands like Deepika Padukone’s 82°E, Katrina Kaif’s Kay Beauty and Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s Anomaly reflect this shift – balancing global aesthetics with Indian sensibilities rooted in consistency, nourishment and care.
Wellness entrepreneur Diipa Büller-Khosla played a key role in normalising traditional oiling practices by reframing them as practical, educational rituals suited to contemporary life. Influencers including Debasree Banerjee, Masoom Minawala and Aashna Shroff further amplified these conversations, making cultural wisdom aspirational, informed and relevant.
