New York: From Nehru’s ‘Tryst with Destiny’ to ‘Dhoom Macha le’ New York’s newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, did not forget to flaunt his Indian roots during his first victory speech, although he did not mention India or Indians directly.
Flanked by his Indian-origin parents and wife Rama Duwaji on the stage, Mamdani quoted India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ address in his victory speech.
Mamdani invoked Nehru as he spoke about ushering in a new era in New York City politics. “Standing before you, I think of the words of Jawaharlal Nehru: “A moment comes, but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance,” Mamdani said, recalling the words of Nehru who delivered his famous speech on the eve of India’s independence.
If that is not evidence enough of his strong bond with India, Mamdani walked off the stage with the exuberant, celebratory track from the 2004 blockbuster “Dhoom” playing in the background.
The use of “Dhoom Machale” set social media abuzz, with many users applauding Mamdani for his choice of song. “Probably one of the most iconic things to ever happen at the end of the New York Mayor’s victory speech...they really dropped ‘Dhoom Machale’!” wrote one user on X.
“Zohran Mamdani closes victory speech as mayor of New York to Dhoom Machale. This is like a Bollywood movie in real life,” added another.
This is not the first time that Mamdani has used the popular appeal of Hindi cinema. Several of his campaign videos, to reach out to New York’s Indian American voters, used songs and dialogues from hit Hindi movies to great effect. One video, for instance, referenced “Deewaar”, “Karz” and “Om Shanti Om”, all cult hits from the recent and not so recent past. Mamdani secured a thumping victory in election in which he defeated independent candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.