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EYE ON BOLLYWOOD NOVEMBER 14, 2025 | The Indian Eye 36

Why Zohran Mamdani’s Victory in NYC

Feels Like a Bollywood Script

Drawing from Bollywood’s drama, rhythm, and emotion, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair turned

his campaign into a cultural bridge between India and America

OUR BUREAU into civic politics.
His rallies, alive with Bolly-
New York, NY
wood naach-gaana energy, were also
rom the very start, Zohran forums for social justice—spaces
Mamdani’s mayoral campaign where art and activism intertwined.
Ffelt less like traditional poli- He quoted Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
tics and more like a Bollywood nar- in speeches, invoked Hindi film lyr-
rative—vibrant, emotional, and un- ics in videos, and framed governance
apologetically dramatic. His rallies as storytelling: the collective author-
opened with Hindi film tracks, his ship of a city’s next chapter. “Politics
speeches referenced cinema’s social is not something done to us—it’s
themes, and his viral videos looked something we do for ourselves,”
like scenes from classic movies. Mamdani told his supporters, echo-
In one now-iconic campaign ing his mother’s belief in participato-
video, Mamdani recreated a legend- ry art and democratic action.
ary moment from Amitabh Bach- The image that defined the elec-
chan’s Deewar (1975). Mimicking tion night—a jubilant crowd cheer-
the superstar’s line, “Aaj mere paas Zohran with his mother Mira Nair and father Mahmood Mamdani (File Photo) ing as “Dhoom Machale” played,
buildingein hain, property hai, bank confetti falling over flags of India
balance hai... tumhare paas kya hai?” and the U.S.—captured this fusion
Mamdani struck Shah Rukh Khan’s “Never expected it, but seeing my tagram—felt like a family of artists of cultural pride and civic joy. It was
saluting one of their own who had
song become a symbol of India’s soft
signature pose and replied, “Aap” (“I as if the exuberance of Indian cin-
have you”). The moment wasn’t just power is deeply satisfying,” he told carried cinema’s storytelling spirit ema had found a new stage in New
India TV, adding warm wishes for
into public life.
humorous—it captured his populist Mira Nair and her son. York’s City Hall.
message of belonging, turning a nos- Actors and directors joined the FROM REEL TO REAL In a world where politics often
talgic film line into a rallying cry for chorus. Shabana Azmi, a longtime feels impersonal, Zohran Mamdani
inclusion. friend of Nair, wrote on Facebook, “I s the son of one of India’s most reintroduced emotion, storytelling,
That blend of creativity and celebrated filmmakers, Mam- and humanity to the process. His vic-
authenticity gave Mamdani’s cam- am over the moon! Not only because Adani inherited more than tory stands as a reminder that leader-
Zohran is Mira and Mahmoud’s son,
paign its pulse. His slogan “Bil- fame—he absorbed a worldview ship can be both artistic and authen-
lionaires ke paas sab kuchh hai, ab but because of who he is and the shaped by cinema’s empathy and tic—that the same imagination that
hope he represents for social justice.”
aapka time aagaya” (“Billionaires Azmi noted how Mamdani faced realism. Mira Nair’s films, from fuels movies can also power move-
already have everything, now your “manufactured negativity,” including Monsoon Wedding to The Name- ments. In bridging Bollywood and
time has come”) connected directly Donald Trump’s petty jibes, yet re- sake, explored the moral and emo- the Bronx, Mira Nair’s son didn’t just
with working-class voters. Beyond mained focused on his message of tional negotiations of migration, win an election—he wrote a script
the theatrics, he offered a grounded people-powered politics. identity, and love. Her son’s cam- for a new kind of politics: one that
agenda—fare-free city buses, rent British-Indian actress Indira Var- paign translated those same themes dances, dreams, and dares.
freezes, universal childcare, and af- ma, who starred in Nair’s Kama Sutra,
fordable groceries—policies echoing shared a nostalgic message—“Saw it
the old Bollywood ideals of roti, kap- coming when you were six”—while
da aur makaan (food, clothing, and global names like Zoya Akhtar, Han-
shelter).
sal Mehta, Lupita Nyong’o, Poorna
CHEERS ACROSS THE OCEAN Jagannathan, and Sonam Kapoor
added their congratulations. Even
he campaign’s cinematic flair Indian politician Shashi Tharoor
didn’t go unnoticed back in In- called the win “a moment of global
Tdia. As soon as Mamdani’s vic- pride,” symbolizing the growing in-
tory was announced, tributes poured fluence of Indian-origin leaders.
in from across the film world—trans- Across continents, the film fra-
forming the election into a global ternity celebrated not just a mayoral
cultural celebration. Music composer victory, but the triumph of imagina-
Pritam Chakraborty was thrilled to tion and identity. On social media,
see his song “Dhoom Machale” blar- the flood of congratulatory posts—
ing during Mamdani’s victory speech. many reshared on Mira Nair’s Ins-

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