How Zohran Mamdani, Mira Nair's son, traded Bollywood to win hearts—and votes

Dubai: Let’s be honest—Zohran Mamdani, Mira Nair's accomplished and dishy son, had my heart the moment he dropped Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic “Aaj mere paas…” dialogue into a campaign video.

Game, set, and political match.

In one brilliant stroke, the Mississippi Masala filmmaker's son managed to speak to the lowest common denominator—and I mean that in the most flattering way possible. Because in a city as chaotic and diverse as New York, what unites us faster than our collective obsession with Bollywood?

Referencing Bollywood's iconic hit Deewar—arguably one of the most anti-establishment, rage-fuelled, working-class films of all time—wasn’t just a nostalgic flex. It was a stroke of genius. In the most zany Instagram reel for a political candidate, Zohran managed to cut through the noise, the policy jargon, the think pieces, and say: I see you. I know you. And I know exactly what hits you in the gut.

And let’s not forget who he quoted. Amitabh Bachchan—the OG angry young man. The man who, with just a glare and a clenched jaw, could take down the system.

For decades, Bachchan has symbolised the outsider’s fight, the everyman’s rage, the common man’s simmering discontent. And here comes Zohran, a Ugandan-born, New York-raised, desi-rooted political disruptor, channeling that exact same energy in the middle of a mayoral campaign. And he spoke Hindi with almost zero American accent.

What makes this move even more wicked is its context. We’ve seen politicians use celebrities before—hello, Narendra Modi and his Bollywood A-lister fan club. Modi knows the power of film. He’s harnessed it to boost nationalism, amplify his persona, and make sure his image is never far from a red carpet.

But Zohran? He flipped the script. Instead of dragging stars onto a stage, he reached into cinematic history and repurposed a powerful, grassroots line to talk about inequality. No glitz, no glamour—just smart storytelling.

And it worked. With 95% of ballots counted, Zohran beat former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in a stunning upset, becoming the first Muslim nominee for the city’s top job. And while endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders certainly helped, let’s not underestimate the emotional power of a perfectly placed Bollywood quote.

Because here’s the thing: Bollywood has always been India’s greatest soft power export. It’s emotional, familiar, and instantly accessible—even to those who don’t speak the language. By invoking Bachchan, Zohran didn’t just speak to desis. He spoke to taxi drivers, first-gen immigrants, aunties and uncles, and every person who's ever felt let down by the system but found solace in a dramatic monologue and a good plot twist.

So yes, Zohran Mamdani may be running for mayor, but he’s already won the Bollywood campaign crown. And if that reel is anything to go by, the revolution will be subtitled—and probably set to an Laxmikant-Pyarelal track.