Voluminous hair, neatly pressed printed shirts, high-waisted trousers, sarees with generous borders and large-framed spectacles; oversized jackets, kohl-rimmed eyes, chunky hoops, gold watches, broad belts, denim and colours that had no qualms about standing out.
Those photos had a different texture — soft focus, visible grain, warm and slightly faded colours, the occasional blur or overexposure. Things that only made them feel real.
In the background, wooden showcases crowded with crockery could be seen, or patterned curtains, mosaic floors, bulky televisions, Ambassador cars, scooters, and cinema posters on walls.
Time travel, it seems, no longer needs a physical machine. For the past two days, our phones have been busy sending us back to the 80s.
The instructions are simple. Pick a photograph. Type a prompt into ChatGPT: “Transform my uploaded photograph into a realistic photograph of me as I might have looked in India during the 1980s.”
Seconds later, the photograph returns, and it is more than a change of clothes or hairstyle. The setting has changed too, with the image acquiring the textures, colours and the little imperfections of an old photograph.
And the curiosity has caught everyone, celebrities and politicians included. They are trying to see themselves in a time long past, comparing themselves with photographs of their parents and grandparents, and even pairing them with 1980s songs for the full experience.
“It is quite natural for people to feel nostalgic about the past, particularly periods when they had fewer responsibilities and more pleasant experiences. When we look back, we tend to remember the moments that gave us happiness, security or a sense of freedom. Each person’s relationship with the past is different, so the reason for nostalgia also varies. For some, those memories can be comforting and emotionally reassuring; for others, they can serve as motivation,” says Dr Mini K Paul, consultant psychologist.
The tendency to remember the past through a softer lens even has a name: rosy retrospection bias.
It describes how people often recall past experiences as more pleasant than they felt at the time, with difficult moments fading while happier memories remain.
“Romanticising the past is not something unique to our time; it has existed across generations. In every period, people tend to believe that the time they lived through was somehow better. Earlier, we saw a fascination with retro styles and old-fashioned aesthetics. Now, we are seeing the same impulse through these digitally recreated photographs,” says psychiatrist Dr Arun B Nair.
Nostalgia can also become a form of escapism, he adds. “People are dealing with occupational pressures, academic concerns, interpersonal difficulties and financial stress, and looking back at an easier or happier time can offer a temporary escape from those realities,” he says.
This tendency to idealise an earlier time also feeds into what he describes as ‘juvenoia’ — the fear that younger generations and the changes they bring are making the world worse.
The familiar refrain of “our time was better”, he says, is something every generation eventually inherits.
“People say the world is deteriorating — there is more pollution, more stress, technology is changing everything, and young people are different. But when the present generation grows older, they too may look back at their own youth and say the same thing about the generation that follows,” he says.
Nostalgia, therefore, is not necessarily stronger in one generation than another. But Dr Arun points out that the current wave is particularly noticeable among people in their mid-30s to 50s, who are more active on social media and therefore more likely to display their nostalgia publicly.
For sociologist Jyoti S Nair, Head of the Department of Sociology, Government KNM Arts and Science College, Kanjiramkulam, the deeper pull lies in connection.
“The world we live in is increasingly mediated by technology, speed and constant stimulation. People are therefore drawn towards periods they associate with a more sensory, tangible and connected way of living.
Nostalgia gives people a way of locating themselves — not just as individuals, but as social beings. It connects personal memories to a larger collective experience,” she says.
That longing for connection may also explain the renewed interest in older aesthetics, from vintage homes and fashion to gatherings designed around shared experiences. Even brands have begun leaning into heritage, knowing that things associated with history and roots can inspire a stronger sense of trust.
She sees nostalgia as a way of pushing back against the monotony and technological overload of contemporary life.
“There is also a growing sense of loneliness. Nostalgia allows people to feel that they belong to something — a time, a community or a memory,” she says.
Maybe the real trick is that we are always late to our own nostalgia.
We realise a moment mattered only after it has moved out of reach. So while the 1980s keep getting recreated on our screens, somewhere in the background, 2026 is already becoming somebody’s “those were the days.”