Google’s A–Z list of 2025 searches reveals India’s biggest online obsessions

The list reflected what people across the country searched for most frequently over the year.

Google released its annual review of India’s online behaviour through its “India’s Year in Search 2025: The A to Z of Trending Searches”, offering an overview of what captured users’ attention across entertainment, sport, culture, technology, food, and current affairs. The list reflected what people across the country searched for most frequently over the year, ranging from films and music to artificial intelligence tools, political developments, and internet memes.

Under the letter A, actors Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday featured prominently as they were identified as the most searched entertainment figures of the year following the success of the romantic drama "Saiyaara:. The film itself emerged as 2025’s most searched movie in India, and its title track recorded the highest number of song-related searches. The same track also appeared in Spotify Wrapped 2025 as the third most played song among listeners.

For B, the appearance of entrepreneur Bryan Johnson on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast generated significant public interest, becoming the most searched podcast episode of the year. His abrupt decision to walk out mid-recording due to poor air quality prompted a wider discussion online, accompanied by rising use of search prompts such as “Air Quality near me”. Given Kamath’s recent conversation with Elon Musk, his show’s prominence in future lists was anticipated.

The letter C corresponded to “ceasefire”, which became the most searched definition in India. Searches such as “What is ceasefire” increased notably, alongside interest in meanings of terms including mock drills, stampedes, and online expressions like “Pookie”, “5201314”, and “Nonce”.

Veteran actor Dharmendra featured under D after his death on 24 November 2025 at the age of 89. He was listed tenth in the Top Overall Searches and second under major news events, as users looked back on his life and films.

“Earthquake near me” dominated E, marking it as the most searched “Near Me” query as people sought real-time updates during moments of concern.

F combined two unrelated themes: Final Destination Bloodlines, released in May 2025, which topped international film searches, and “floodlighting”, which became the most searched dating trend. The term referred to sharing personal trauma early on in a new relationship in an attempt to create emotional closeness.

G was represented by Google Gemini, which placed second in the Top Overall Searches. Curiosity around artificial intelligence continued to grow, with increases in interest for DeepSeek, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio, and Flow.

The Haldi trend was highlighted under H, as turmeric-based wellness content gained visibility across social platforms, merging traditional practices with contemporary self-care trends.

The Indian Premier League dominated I, leading both the Top Overall Searches and Top Sports Events categories, surpassing the Asia Cup and Champions Trophy.

Jemimah Rodrigues appeared under J as the top-ranked Indian woman personality of the year after the national team won the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma also trended prominently.

K corresponded to the continued influence of southern cinema, with Kantara emerging as the second most searched film in India. Other regional releases such as Coolie, Marco, and Game Changer also appeared prominently.

Collectable toy Labubu accounted for L after the question “What is a Labubu?” became widely searched.

The Maha Kumbh was identified under M as the most searched news event of 2025, also fuelling travel-related searches like “Kumbh Mela itinerary”.

N referred to Nano Banana, associated with Google Gemini’s image model, which drove interest in visual trends such as “Gemini saree trend” and “3D model trend”.

O was marked by “Operation Sindoor”, which drew public attention following the Pahalgam attack, prompting high search activity for updates on India’s military response.

Phu Quoc represented both P and Q, with the Vietnamese island becoming one of the year’s most sought-after travel destinations, ranking alongside the Philippines, Phuket, and Pondicherry.

Under R, creator Ranveer Allahbadia appeared among the most searched personalities, with users also exploring the meaning of “Latent” following a widely discussed moment involving an ill-timed question.

S combined Squid Game, which led searches for international series, with astronaut Sunita Williams, who was among the most searched women after returning to Earth following 608 days in space.

The letters T and U highlighted food items including Thekua and Ukadiche Modak, as people searched heavily for regional recipes, along with other dishes such as idli and Ugadi Pachadi.

Teenage cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi appeared under V as the most searched personality of 2025, ahead of Priyansh Arya and Abhishek Sharma.

W spanned the Women’s World Cup and the Waqf Bill. “What is Waqf Bill” became the most searched explanatory query, while India’s first Women’s World Cup win became a major point of public interest.

Under X, users searched for X’s AI tool Grok as interest in emerging generative AI expanded.

Y was represented by Yorkshire pudding, which unexpectedly attracted the attention of Indian home cooks.

Z covered Zubeen Garg, the Assamese singer and composer who died on 19 September 2025. His death triggered widespread mourning and significant search activity around his career and songs.

The list concluded with “#” being linked to the “67 meme”, which became a notable internet trend. Other viral humour included the “Arjun Kapoor meme” and the “Vishal Mega Mart Security Guard Job meme”.