Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show was once again to dazzling heights in October 2025, reclaiming its place in world spotlight with an adrenaline-pumping extravaganza in New York City. With stunning sets, fearless fashion, and performances by Missy Elliott, Karol G, and K-pop sensation TWICE, the show combined glamour with innovation — but one surprise musical moment was the true showstopper.
In a runway moment, the crowd was left agog over an amazing mashup: Britney Spears’ Toxic being seamlessly merged with Tere Mere Beech Mein, a popular Hindi tune from the 1981 Bollywood movie Ek Duuje Ke Liye. The East-meets-West mashup went viral, exciting fans online and sparking renewed controversy around the two songs’ long-mulled-up connection.
The fans had for long presumed that the hook of strings in Toxic was stolen from Tere Mere Beech Mein. Written by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Anand Bakshi and performed by legends Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, the original Hindi track has an identical haunting melody. The mashup they did for the fashion show capitalized on their audio affinities, combining the scorching syrupy groove of Spears’ 2003 single with the dramatics of the Hindi classic.
Toxic, on the other hand, was a global phenomenon, earning Britney Spears a Grammy and one of the defining songs of the 2000s. Tere Mere Beech Mein is from Ek Duuje Ke Liye, an antique Indian film which told a tragic love story of an intercultural affair. Starring Kamal Haasan and Rati Agnihotri and directed by K. Balachander, the film is still a powerful cultural reference point.
The mashup’s viral fame not only thrilled fans globally but also brought to light the rich musical exchange between the East and West — proving that melodies have no borders and no decades
