Alia Bhatt has joined the viral 2016 nostalgia trend, and her latest Instagram post has caught instant attention. The actor shared a carousel of throwback photos from a decade ago, giving fans a peek into what was clearly a special year for her, both personally and professionally.
The photos take fans back to 2016, a time many Bollywood stars now remember fondly. Alia’s post features relaxed, candid moments that shows carefree phase of her life. From movie promotions to travel memories and fashion looks, the pictures capture why the year continues to spark nostalgia online.
Alia Bhatt Looks Back At 2026 With Nostalgic Photodump
In the carousel shared by Love And War actress, Alia is seen sporting classic 2016 fashion while promoting Kapoor and Sons. She also shared behind-the-scenes moments from Dear Zindagi with Shah Rukh Khan, along with pictures from a tour with her then-boyfriend Sidharth Malhotra. Other highlights include her visit to the Golden Temple, a glimpse from the “Tamma Tamma” shoot with Varun Dhawan, and her Elle 2016 cover shoot. One photo also shows her enjoying Coldplay’s concert in Berlin that year.
Sharing the post, she wrote:
“2016 ki kahaani
1 – 2016 started off pretty grounded
2 – some shoot moments with my fav co-actor ever
3 – a whole lot of love
4 – very tired boys on the dream team tour
5 – a whole lot of love part 2 (surprise bday in Delhi during Kapoor and Sons promotions)
6 – tamma tamma shoot with badri
7 – golden moments at the golden temple
8 – dearest pari giving me some relevant gossip during a press conference
9 – Elle 2016 cover shoot
10 – coldplay berlin 2016!”
The post soon drew reactions from her friends in the industry. Parineeti Chopra commented, “T was the start of our lingo, dear one. Do reminisce.” Varun Dhawan said. “So much happened in a year.”
For Alia Bhatt, 2016 was a landmark year in her career. She received strong praise for all three of her releases (Udta Punjab, Dear Zindagi and Kapoor and Sons). Each film brought a different side of her acting and helped establish her as one of Bollywood’s top actors.
In 2026, she will star in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love and War alongside Ranbir Kapoor and Vicky Kaushal. She is also part of YRF’s spy universe film Alpha, where she will be seen with Sharvari.
Why This 2016 Trend Is Everywhere
The “2026 is the new 2016” trend has taken over social media, driven by nostalgia for a simpler, less curated time. Fashion pieces like chokers, skinny jeans, off-shoulder tops and bomber jackets are making a comeback. Beauty trends such as bold eye makeup and old-school filters are also returning.
In Bollywood, this has led to stars sharing throwback photo dumps from 2016. Kareena Kapoor Khan recently revisited her pregnancy photos from that year, while younger actors like Ananya Panday and Khushi Kapoor have also joined the trend.
