Why are TikTokers suddenly obsessed with a 2001 Bollywood film?

Bollywood is having a moment on social media.

If you’ve been on Instagram or TikTok of late, chances are high that you’ve either scrolled past or watched at least one video of users trying the #AsokaMakeup trend.

Content creators are now lip-syncing to lyrics of the song “San Sanana” from the 2001 Bollywood film Asoka while creating intricate looks in full South Asian bridal regalia.

Asoka is a heavily dramatised retelling of the life of Mauryan emperor Asoka, who ruled over a vast expanse of the Indian subcontinent in the third century BC, played by Shah Rukh Khan. Kareena Kapoor plays Kaurwaki, a princess with whom Asoka falls in love.

The film’s costume designer Anu Vardhan, while admitting she took liberties with the costumes for the film, said her research led her to discover that body art was used liberally in Asoka’s time and chose to incorporate it in the way Kaurwaki dressed.

Clearly Vardhan did something right, because Kaurwaki’s makeup inspired content creators to experiment with and recreate the look.

What is particularly intriguing about this trend is that it goes beyond recreating looks from the film. It is now seeing beauty enthusiasts from all over the world create detailed South Asian bridal looks, both modern and traditional.

The trend’s appeal has drawn attention to the original film and song, as is clear from the comment section on YouTube.

“Who else is here because of TikTok makeup video?” asks one user while another points that the song “is trending after 23 years of release”.