On Nov. 5, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani closed his first victory address by placing a hand over his chest and exiting to the Bollywood track “Dhoom Machale.” The upbeat 2004 song, familiar across South Asia, punctuated a night in which supporters celebrated his win and many observers noted the cultural nod to his family’s South Asian roots. Mamdani, 34, who has parents born in India and raised partly in Uganda, has frequently referenced film and music in campaign material. The brief musical exit drew attention both in New York and on social platforms the following day.
Key Takeaways
- Zohran Mamdani, 34, was confirmed as New York City’s mayor-elect on Nov. 5, 2025, concluding his victory speech with the song “Dhoom Machale.”
- “Dhoom Machale” is the theme from the 2004 Indian action film Dhoom and remains widely recognized in South Asia two decades after release.
- Mamdani’s mother is director Mira Nair and his father is academic Mahmood Mamdani; both have public profiles linking the family to film and scholarship.
- Campaign creative director Aneesh Bhoopathy and several campaign videos drew inspiration from Bollywood visuals; one ad clipped a scene from the 1975 film Deewaar.
- Social media quickly circulated clips of Mamdani’s staged exit, prompting commentary about South Asian cultural representation in City Hall.
- On-the-ground recognition of Mamdani in parts of India was limited the day after the victory, though some locals who saw campaign clips reacted positively to his language skills and cultural references.
Background
Mamdani’s campaign routinely mixed political messaging with cinematic imagery and music, reflecting a deliberate visual strategy. His mother, Mira Nair, is an internationally known filmmaker whose work — including Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay! — blends Indian themes with global storytelling; his father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a scholar with a long career writing about colonialism and African history. Those family ties positioned cultural references as both personal signals and campaign branding. The use of a Bollywood anthem at a major public moment follows other instances during the run when campaign videos used Hindi-language clips, film montage motifs and sartorial cues such as a long white kurta in promotional footage.
Bollywood songs and imagery carry layered meanings abroad: they can signal ethnic pride, international cosmopolitanism or simply entertainment. For diaspora politicians, such references often aim to connect with voters who share heritage or cultural memory, while also reaching broader audiences via social media virality. In Mamdani’s case, the intersection of film, family and politics created a narrative thread the campaign repeatedly emphasized, even as news coverage abroad initially lagged behind U.S. reporting.
Main Event
At the Brooklyn Paramount on the night of his speech, Mamdani spoke to supporters about his agenda and then closed with a gesture — hand to chest — before music began. Organizers timed “Dhoom Machale” to play as he left the stage; attendees and online viewers quickly identified the track. The selection echoed other campaign moments: team visuals that cited Bollywood poster art and videos that sampled Indian film dialogue and scenes. One campaign clip included an excerpt from the 1975 drama Deewaar and cut to Mamdani responding with a brief gesture, a montage technique familiar from movie trailers.
Members of Mamdani’s inner circle appeared onstage after the speech, including his mother, director Mira Nair, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, underscoring the family connection to film and scholarship. Campaign designers have said that Mamdani noted Bollywood as an inspiration for logos and color palettes, using cinematic cues to convey energy and cultural specificity. Social platforms amplified the exit: short videos from the event circulated quickly, drawing commentary from diaspora communities and cultural commentators in New York.
Reaction in parts of India was muted the next morning; reporters in New Delhi found little general awareness among passersby outside a family residence where his parents sometimes stay. Still, those who viewed clips of campaign material in the city noted Mamdani’s language facility and the recognizable Bollywood soundtrack. The episode thus functioned on two levels: as a local victory riff for supporters in Brooklyn and as an emblematic moment of diaspora cultural signaling that reached international audiences primarily through digital sharing.
Analysis & Implications
The musical exit highlights how politicians from immigrant backgrounds deploy cultural reference points to narrate identity and build affinity. For Mamdani, the song choice linked his personal biography — a family steeped in film and scholarship — to a public moment of civic transition. In a city as diverse as New York, such cues can mobilize communities by affirming heritage while also generating attention beyond traditional political channels. Yet symbolic gestures do not substitute for policy; observers will watch whether cultural resonance translates into sustained governing alliances and outreach across constituencies.
Internationally, the event illustrates the speed at which diaspora-driven moments are reinterpreted by media ecosystems. Coverage in major Indian outlets came after U.S. reporting and often framed Mamdani as the first mayor-elect of Indian descent in New York, a milestone that bears symbolic weight even if immediate name recognition in India remained uneven. The pattern underscores a two-way flow: diaspora politics borrow from homeland culture for local effect, and homeland media later re-export those moments as part of national narratives about global influence and migration.
There are electoral risks and rewards to leaning on cultural media. Visual and musical references can energize supporters and shape brand identity, but they also invite scrutiny about authenticity and intent. Critics could frame such choices as theatrical if not backed by substantive policy commitments to the communities evoked. Conversely, when paired with clear plans and community engagement, cultural signaling can be an effective tool for inclusion and representation in municipal governance.
Comparison & Data
| Item | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dhoom (film) | 2004 | Action thriller with theme song “Dhoom Machale”; remains a popular track in South Asia. |
| Mamdani victory speech | 2025 | Used “Dhoom Machale” as exit music at Brooklyn event. |
| Queen of Katwe (soundtrack) | 2016 | Mamdani worked on the soundtrack; film directed by Mira Nair. |
The table above places the song’s cinematic origin (2004) alongside Mamdani’s use of the track (2025) and the candidate’s prior work with film music (2016). That timeline shows how cultural elements spanning two decades fed into a contemporary political moment, blending personal biography with campaign aesthetics.
Reactions & Quotes
Public and expert responses combined cultural pride with commentary about representation. Below are representative reactions reported in the immediate aftermath.
“A South Asian Muslim era in City Hall is truly here.”
Yashica Dutt, writer (social media)
This remark captured how some commentators framed Mamdani’s victory as a symbolic milestone for South Asian and Muslim representation in municipal leadership. Reactions like this circulated widely on social platforms and were quoted in subsequent reporting.
“He’s very good in Hindi, and in Arabic.”
Aman Midda, language tutor (local observer in New Delhi)
A local in New Delhi who had not previously known Mamdani said this after being shown campaign clips, illustrating how campaign media reached and shaped impressions abroad even among those unfamiliar with Mamdani’s political profile.
“He mentioned Bollywood posters among inspirations for the campaign logo.”
Aneesh Bhoopathy, campaign designer (interview)
The campaign’s design lead described cinematic references as intentional inputs to the visual strategy, linking the staged exit to a broader creative program used throughout the race.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the song choice was selected primarily as a personal homage rather than a campaign branding decision remains unconfirmed by direct statements from Mamdani.
- The extent to which the Bollywood references altered vote choice among specific demographic groups has not been verified by exit polling or academic analysis.
- Reports of immediate popular recognition of Mamdani across India were mixed; claims of widespread familiarity in India the day after the victory are not supported by systematic data.
Bottom Line
Mamdani’s use of “Dhoom Machale” as he left the stage was a compact cultural statement that linked his family background in film and scholarship to a symbolic civic milestone. The moment underscored how cultural signifiers can amplify a political victory, especially in a diverse, media-rich city like New York. It also raised questions about how symbolic gestures intersect with governance priorities and whether cultural resonance fosters durable political coalitions.
In the months ahead, the policy record Mamdani builds will determine whether the image-making of the campaign translates into lasting influence. Observers should watch both substantive outreach to the city’s communities and the continued role of cultural communication in his administration’s public messaging.