Catch up on the must-know moments from this week in pop culture. Scroll down to see all the major highlights. 

This week in pop culture has been packed with exciting updates that have captured global attention. From history-making Oscar nominations to major milestones in the fashion industry, the spotlight has been on some truly groundbreaking moments. Whether you’re a fan of cinema, fashion, or both, there’s plenty to keep you buzzing. Catch up on the biggest highlights you don’t want to miss!

2025 Oscar Nominations Announced

The 97th Academy Awards nominations were announced on January 23, 2025, showcasing a diverse lineup of films and performances. The ceremony will take place on March 2, 2025. Leading the nominations is the Spanish-language film Emilia Pérez with 13 nods, marking a historic moment as it becomes the most-nominated non-English-language film. Among the nominations, Karla Sofía Gascón has made history as the first openly transgender performer to be nominated in an acting category.

Other notable films include The Brutalist and Wicked, each receiving 10 nominations, including Best Picture. The Substance, directed by Coralie Fargeat, has also garnered attention, with Fargeat being recognized in the Best Director category. Fernanda Torres, nominated for I’m Still Here, becomes the second Brazilian actress to receive a nomination in this category, following her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, in 1999.

International cinema has a strong presence this year, with Latvia’s Flow earning nominations for both Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature Film, a rare accomplishment. The nominations reflect a growing emphasis on global cinema and inclusivity in the awards. 

Sabyasachi Mukherjee Celebrates 25 Years in Fashion

Renowned Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee marked the 25th anniversary of his brand with a star-studded fashion show in Mumbai. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone opened the event, donning a monochromatic white ensemble that garnered significant attention. The celebration was attended by numerous celebrities, including Alia Bhatt, Sonam Kapoor, and Ananya Panday, highlighting Sabyasachi’s influential presence in the fashion industry.

Louvre to Host Louvre Couture 

The Louvre Museum in Paris is set to host an extraordinary exhibition, Louvre Couture, bringing together the worlds of high fashion and fine art. This exhibit, slated to open later this year, will showcase iconic fashion pieces inspired by or directly influenced by the museum’s rich art collection. Accompanying the exhibition is Le Grand Dîner, a high-profile gala that will blend the glamour of the fashion world with the cultural gravitas of the Louvre.

This event underscores a growing trend where fashion exhibitions have become a major draw for museums worldwide. Historically, institutions like New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, spearheaded by figures such as Vogue’s Diana Vreeland, pioneered the concept of fashion as a legitimate form of art to be displayed in museums. These exhibitions, including the Met Gala’s annual themed displays, have demonstrated how the synergy between art and fashion can captivate diverse audiences while being highly profitable.

Fashion exhibitions today are not only cultural phenomena but also lucrative ventures. Museums have increasingly embraced these showcases to attract younger, fashion-forward audiences and secure significant sponsorships from luxury brands. In turn, these brands gain prestige and visibility, aligning themselves with the cultural cachet of historic institutions. Events like Louvre Couture and the annual Met Gala prove that the intersection of fashion and art is a win-win for cultural enrichment and commercial success.

Coldplay’s Historic Return to India

Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres” World Tour marked a triumphant return to India in January 2025, with the British rock band performing three sold-out concerts at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium on January 18, 19, and 21. 

The concerts featured a mix of Coldplay’s classic hits and newer tracks, accompanied by impressive light displays and interactive elements that enhanced the audience experience. The band’s commitment to sustainability was evident, as they continued their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their performances. These concerts were part of Coldplay’s ongoing “Music of the Spheres” World Tour, which has been recognized as one of the most successful tours by a group. The success of Coldplay’s concerts in India underscores the growing enthusiasm for live music among young, affluent Indians, contributing significantly to the country’s live entertainment market.

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On 11th November, Dr. Nutan Kher’s luxury Ayurvedic skincare brand, Param Amrit, launched, introducing a skincare line deeply rooted in Ayurvedic tradition. Here’s what sets this brand apart!

Who wouldn’t like a skin care.product that goes deeper than the skin with bringing balance, harmony, and a sense of connection to nature. Param Amrit, founded by Dr. Nutan Kher, brings this vision to life by combining modern skincare with the ancient Ayurvedic practice of Mantra Aushadhi. This lesser-known tradition, recorded in Ayurveda’s foundational texts, involves chanting powerful mantras over herbs to infuse them with spiritual energy, creating products that nourish not just the skin but also the mind and soul.

According to Dr. Kher, “Param Amrit is about embracing the deeper power of nature’s elements.” Her approach means that every product aligns with the natural world’s energy, aiming to give you inner peace and well-being alongside skincare.

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Ancient Techniques, Modern Benefits

Param Amrit’s range of products combines age-old processes with a spiritual touch. The line includes the signature Shatdhaut Ghritamrit face cream, Kumkumadi Face Serum, nourishing lip balms, and Ayurvedic soaps, all crafted using Vedic methods. For example, the face cream involves a meticulous process where ghee is washed 10,000 times in Ganga water under the full moon, with mantras chanted continuously to enhance the product’s potency. 

As Chief Marketing Officer Yogesh Thakur explains, Param Amrit’s vision goes beyond skincare. “Our goal is to deliver not just physical beauty but spiritual wellness,” he says. It’s an approach that seeks to combine Ayurvedic authenticity with the transformative energy of mantras. Param Amrit offers a refreshing alternative to conventional beauty routines by weaving spirituality into skincare. Instead of focusing only on external beauty, the brand’s products are made to create a deeper connection to nature and oneself. 

For those seeking something beyond surface-level skincare, Param Amrit’s unique blend of ancient wisdom and modern wellness may be exactly what you need—skincare that nourishes not only the skin but the spirit as well.

About the Launch:

On 11th November, Param Amrit launched in style at the Constitution Club of India, introducing their concept of luxury skincare with ancient Ayurvedic wisdom to everyone. The event was a special moment for the founder, Dr. Nutan Kher, who was joined by her brother, renowned singer and Padma Shri awardee Kailash Kher, as well as spiritual leader Shri Baba Swami Amritanand Ji. Guests present at the event had the chance to hear about Param Amrit’s philosophy, explore the mantra-infused products firsthand, and experience the deeper purpose behind this new approach to skincare.

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Today, we might be just a click away from getting hands on our favourite products but it wasn’t always the case for Indian consumers. Let’s take a look at how Jawaharlal Nehru helped in introducing the first Indian cosmetic brand.

Talking about beauty and cosmetic brands, a dozen of names come to our mind and getting your hands on your favorite products is quite easy these days. It wasn’t the case if we time travel to a few decades back and the reasons are quite obvious. What if we ask you about the first time cosmetics were introduced to India, who did it and when did it happen? A lot of names might come to your mind but would you believe that Jawaharlal Nehru and Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata were behind introducing the first Indian cosmetic brand? 

How and why was the idea proposed?

 Let’s do some time travel and go back to the year 1952 when we just got independence and India was not at its best financial state with very limited foreign currency reserves. Of course makeup and beauty products were a luxury at that time and since there were no domestic manufacturers of it, all these products used to be imported from other countries. This was the factor because of which only high class people had access to beauty products. Jawaharlal Nehru decided to ban the import of these products to save the foreign reserves and this decision was not taken well by many people especially, high class women at that time who requested him to lift the ban. 

To solve this problem, Jawaharlal Nehru approached industrialist Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata who proposed launching a made in India cosmetic brand and that’s how Lakmé was launched in 1952. It was the subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills, a company originally known for exporting coconut oil.

How does the brand get its name?

The name Lakmé was suggested by Robert Piguet and Renoir. Lakmé was also a popular opera in France by Léo Delibes and it is named after his protagonist who was inspired by an Indian Goddess, Lakshami. 

Making its space in the Indian Market

Now we had a made in India cosmetic brand which offered cosmetics for all skin types and at a very affordable price and that’s what the Indian consumers wanted. It is very obvious why the brand gained popularity really fast. 

It got its biggest boost when Dadabhoy’s Swiss wife Simone Tata took over as its managing director in 1961. From pricing of products to the brand’s positioning, she gave the brand every reason to be loved. She later became the company’s chairperson in 1982.

There was a time when villains in TV shows were shown wearing kohl-lined eyes and brightly painted lips, advertising for cosmetics was difficult. To create its space in the Indian market, Lakmé applied aggressive marketing tactics, including spending large amounts of money into press advertisements and magazines. With Super Model Shyamoli Verma as the brand’s first face, Lakmé began its campaign of breaking taboos around applying makeup. Verma later came to be known as the ‘Lakmé girl’. Dressed in traditional attire and adorned with Lakmé products,playing Indian musical instruments like the sitar and flute, she showed the brand to be an amalgamation of modernity and ‘Indianness’.

‘If color be to beauty what music is to mood, play on’ was the brand’s first tagline. After this, we got to see many Bollywood actors like Rekha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shraddha Kapoor and Kajol Devgn became the face of Lakmé.

In 2014, Brand Trust Report ranked the company 36th in its list of India’s most trusted brands. It has also been a title sponsor of the prestigious bi-annual event Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW), which takes place in Mumbai. 

Today Lakmé has become a part of Indian women’s lifestyle and the true synonym of Indian Brand but not many of us are aware about the origin of one of India’s favorite beauty brands. 

It was the true vision of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister who made it possible with his vision and collaborative approach with Jehangir Ji Tata who helped in making it all possible. Though the market has expanded and we get to see new brands and products emerging very often but being built by visionary minds, Lakmé has its own legacy which is worth knowing. In 1996, Lakmé formed a 50:50 merger with Hindustan Unilever. Two years later, Tata divested its 50% share in the company and sold it to Hindustan Unilever and today Lakmé is owned by HUL. And this was the story behind Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, directly and indirectly becoming the reason behind India’s first cosmetic brand.

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