Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

Support our Journalism

9th Anniversary: Free Tote & Mug

North Indians on Instagram have discovered the south. And they aren’t mocking

The South Indian cosplay Instagram trend is fun, but the stereotype behind it isn’t.

An eight-year-old Tamil love song has found a new lease of life on Instagram, thanks to a new viral trend. 

Content creators are drawing a white mark on their forehead, sometimes with sunscreen, toothpaste or even Fevicol, with captions like: “Litti chokha trying to be idli dosa”, “momo chowmein trying to be idli dosa”. There is even a Tibetan “tsampa guys trying to be idli dosa”. The background song remains the same — ‘Othaiyadi Pathayila’, from the 2018 Tamil film Kanaa, and it has been used in more than 1.1 million reels to date. 

The reels are unserious, but the creators are not mocking just South Indians. In the food versions, they caricature their own regions too. The joke runs on these regional absolutisms.

But even on the meme’s own terms, is that really all it takes? A sari, flowers, jewellery, a white line, and a particular........

© ThePrint