The nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s has found a new home in AI-generated images. With Ganesh Chaturthi around the corner, social media users can now give their festive photographs an old-school makeover using ChatGPT image-generation prompts.

Instead of simply creating a traditional picture of Lord Ganesha, users can upload their own photograph and ask ChatGPT to recreate it as though it were taken during a Ganpati celebration decades ago.

From vintage family-album photographs to colourful 90s Bollywood-inspired portraits, the trend allows users to combine personal photos with the visual style of a bygone era.

The prompts can be customised to recreate specific details associated with the period, including traditional clothing, home decorations, marigold garlands, diyas, festive lights and the analogue photography aesthetic of the time.

1. Create an 80s-style Ganpati portrait

Users can upload a clear photograph and try:

“Transform my uploaded photo into a nostalgic 1980s Indian Ganesh Chaturthi portrait. Preserve my facial identity, features and natural expression. Dress me in authentic 1980s Indian festive clothing and place me beside a traditional Lord Ganesha idol decorated with marigold garlands and diyas. Give the image the look of an old film photograph with warm tones, subtle grain, soft focus and authentic 1980s festive décor. Keep it photorealistic.”

2. Give your photo a 90s family-album look

For those who want the familiar feel of an old family photograph, this prompt can be used:

“Turn my uploaded photograph into a nostalgic 1990s Indian family-album picture taken during Ganesh Chaturthi. Keep my face, identity and natural appearance unchanged. Place me beside a traditionally decorated Ganpati idol in an Indian home, with flowers, diyas and colourful decorations. Add authentic 1990s photography aesthetics, including direct camera flash, mild film grain, slightly faded colours and a natural candid composition.”

3. Try a retro Bollywood-inspired look

Users looking for a more dramatic transformation can opt for a Bollywood-inspired aesthetic:

“Transform my uploaded photo into a 1990s Bollywood-inspired Ganesh Chaturthi portrait. Preserve my exact facial identity and expression. Dress me in classic 1990s Indian festive fashion and place me beside a colourful traditional Ganpati idol. Add marigold flowers, festive lights and diyas. Use soft flash photography, analogue film grain, vibrant but slightly faded colours and the visual feel of a nostalgic 1990s Bollywood photograph.”

4. Recreate an old-school Ganpati celebration

For a broader throwback, users can combine the 80s and 90s aesthetics:

“Transform my uploaded photograph into a nostalgic Indian Ganesh Chaturthi celebration inspired by the 1980s and 1990s. Preserve my facial features and identity accurately. Surround me with a traditional Ganpati idol, marigold garlands, diyas, colourful paper decorations, and classic Indian festive décor. Make the image look like it was captured on an old analogue camera, with subtle film grain, warm lighting, slight softness, and authentic vintage colours.”

 

Users can further modify the prompts by specifying whether they want an 80s Bollywood aesthetic, 90s family-album look, vintage studio portrait or a candid festive photograph. They can also request vertical images for Instagram Stories and WhatsApp Status or square compositions for profile pictures.

For the most natural result, a clear, well-lit photograph works best.

It is also useful to explicitly ask the image generator to preserve the person's facial identity while changing the clothes, setting and photographic style.

With Ganesh Chaturthi being celebrated on September 14, 2026, the retro AI trend offers social media users a way to combine the festival with the growing nostalgia for the visual language of the 80s and 90s.