Rs 20 Haircuts, Kumar Sanu & ‘Katora Cuts’: Viral Website Revives India’s Iconic Barbershop Memories (WATCH)

A viral website created by Instagram user Yash Bhardwaj evokes nostalgia for old-school Indian barbershops. The site features a playlist of songs, particularly by Kumar Sanu, that were commonly played during inexpensive haircuts in the past. The project has resonated widely online, with its accompanying video gaining over a million views.

Remember those Rs 20 haircuts, walking into a neighbourhood saloon with your dad, hearing a Kumar Sanu song blaring in the background and walking out with a haircut that looked nothing like the picture you showed the barber?

A new viral website is bringing all those memories rushing back.

Instagram user Yash Bhardwaj has created a website featuring songs that were once a familiar soundtrack inside Indian barbershops. The project has struck a major nostalgic chord online, particularly among people who remember childhood trips to local saloons, old-school haircuts and the unmistakable music that played while the barber worked.

In a video shared on Instagram, Bhardwaj explained why he created the website.

“I built a website that lets you listen to all the banger music at Indian barber shops. This should remind you of a time where haircuts used to be 20 rupees.

Check the viral video here: 

You would go to a saloon with your dad, not a salon, and they’ll have pictures of Zayn Malik and all these cool references, but they’ll give you a katora cut anyways. Let me know if you want me to add more songs. Right now it’s very dominated by Kumar Sanu. He’s the GOAT of barber shop and truck driver music."

The post quickly went viral, crossing 1.3 million views, 103,000 likes and 1,700 comments.

The website has particularly resonated with people who associate old Hindi songs with childhood haircut trips. Kumar Sanu's tracks appear to be the dominant presence on the playlist, perfectly matching the atmosphere Bhardwaj was trying to recreate.

But the reactions were not limited to praise. Some users debated whether nostalgia should actually be recreated or simply remembered.

One user suggested taking the concept further, writing, “Great design, a live one would be much greater and also a option to have a POV option and have a haircut (kat-aura cut) would be a banger love your initiative BTW"

Another questioned whether recreating nostalgia can diminish its magic: “Is it just me, or does anyone else think nostalgia is better when it stays in your head or exists as a part of conversation? Like The moment you try to physically reconstruct it into something tangible, it somehow kills the magic."

Others remembered the less glamorous parts of the experience. One user wrote, “Then leave with a headache after an aggressive champi and piercingly high pitched singing from these songs."

Another joked, “I never thought I’d have FOMO of going to a men’s saloon"

The nostalgia even spilled into memories of Indian truck journeys. One user commented, “Saw this on Twitter and damn it was soo good also found another one of banger of truck songs that’s so goood man."

From Rs 20 haircuts and Kumar Sanu songs to katora cuts and aggressive champis, Bhardwaj's creation has managed to capture something far bigger than a playlist: a shared slice of Indian childhood that many people thought they had forgotten.