A New York Mayor with Bollywood Roots

Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor-elect of New York City, surprised many when he ended his victory speech with a Bollywood song. As he finished speaking, he placed his hand over his heart, and then the song "Dhoom Machale" started playing.

A Reflection of Cultural Background

This choice of music was not random; it reflected his cultural background and the influence of Bollywood on his campaign.

• Parents' Background: Mamdani's parents were born in India and later moved to Uganda, where he was born.
• Song Choice: The song he chose, "Dhoom Machale", is a popular Bollywood track. The lyrics, which translate to "have a blast" or "make some noise", seemed to capture the excitement of his victory.

Though Mamdani is not widely known in India, his win made headlines there as he became the first mayor-elect of Indian descent in New York.

Bollywood Influence

Bollywood has clearly influenced Mamdani in many ways.

• Mother: His mother, Mira Nair, is a famous film director known for movies like "Monsoon Wedding" and "Salaam Bombay!". She often includes Bollywood elements in her work, even though she is not part of the mainstream Indian film industry.
• Father: His father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a professor at Columbia University and has written extensively about colonialism and African history.

Campaign and Bollywood

During his campaign, Mamdani used Bollywood-style visuals and music in some of his ads.

• December Video: One video from December featured him wearing a long white kurta, similar to a Bollywood movie trailer.
• June Video: In another video from June, he used a clip from the 1975 Indian film "Deewaar" to address his supporters in Hindi.

These choices showed his connection to Indian pop culture and his ability to blend it with his political messaging.

Social Media Reaction

Social media users quickly recognized the Bollywood song at the end of his speech and shared clips of his exit from the stage. Some celebrated how a "Bollywood buff" would soon be the mayor of New York.

• Film Music: Mamdani, who is 34 years old, has also worked on film music, though not directly in the Bollywood industry. He oversaw the soundtrack for "Queen of Katwe", a 2016 Disney sports drama directed by his mother.

Recognition in India

Despite his cultural ties to India, Mamdani is not a household name there. In New Delhi, where his parents live part of the year, many people had not heard of him. However, those who saw his campaign videos were impressed.

• Aman Midda, a language tutor, had not heard of Mamdani but was impressed by his fluency in Hindi and Arabic.