In a stunning testament to the enduring life of internet culture, a meme featuring Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, which originated all the way back in 2017, has been declared the top trending meme of 2025 by Google. The actor's now-iconic reaction face, born from an awkward press interaction, has defeated countless newer viral sensations to claim the number one spot this year.
The Origin Story: A Press Conference Gone Viral
The meme finds its roots in a promotional event for the film Half Girlfriend in 2017. Arjun Kapoor was alongside his co-star Shraddha Kapoor, promoting the Mohit Suri-directed film adapted from Chetan Bhagat's novel. While the movie itself may not be widely remembered today, one fleeting moment from that day achieved digital immortality.
During a Q&A session, after Arjun gave a standard answer about enjoying shooting in various locations across India, a voice from the media pack remarked, 'Kya baat hai, sir' (Wow, sir). The tone, however, was perceived as mocking and sarcastic. The actor's immediate, unscripted reaction was to turn sharply towards the voice with a look of justifiable consternation and ask, "Tune bola?" (Did you say that?). The clip of his piercing gaze and the awkward silence that followed was clipped from the longer video and began its journey across the internet.
An Eight-Year Journey to the Top
Despite the incident occurring eight years ago, the meme experienced a massive resurgence in the middle of 2025. The relentless sharing and repurposing of the clip into GIFs, YouTube Shorts, and image macros across social media platforms was so intense that it reportedly led Arjun Kapoor to temporarily disable comments on his Instagram posts.
However, the actor later showcased a commendable ability to embrace the joke. He cleverly leveraged his viral fame by starring in an advertisement for Call Me Chunky ice cream. The ad's premise humorously suggested that Arjun simply has an "angry resting face," showing him reacting to various situations like cutting his finger or receiving a surprise gift with the same expression from the meme.
Legacy Beyond the Laughs
Arjun Kapoor continues to be an active figure in the Hindi film industry. His most recent project is the 2025 release Mere Husband Ki Biwi, featuring Bhumi Pednekar and Rakul Preet Singh. The meme's victory highlights how digital content can have a second, or even third, life online, completely detached from its original context.
According to Google's annual trends list, the other memes that rounded out the top three were the 67 meme in second place and the Vishal Mega Mart security guard meme in third. Yet, it was the sheer staying power of Arjun Kapoor's 2017 moment that ultimately captured the internet's collective attention in 2025, proving once again that on the web, some things are simply unforgettable.
