Memes, Ballots and Bollywood: The Rise of Relatable Politics

This week, a new viral meme has taken over the internet — the clip of US President Donald Trump looking at Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s newly elected mayor, with what the internet calls “heart eyes.” In another moment, Trump even tries to answer a tough press question on Mamdani’s behalf, and that clip too is everywhere.

From New Delhi to Auckland to Toronto, young people can’t stop sharing these snippets. The memes have spread across borders, timelines, and group chats, turning their first meeting into a global inside joke.

But Mamdani being a global meme magnet isn’t new. Long before the Trump clip took off, his campaign had already built a cultural moment of its own.

His victory video — the one that blasted the early-2000s Bollywood anthem Dhoom Machaale — became the first spark. The song, meaning “create a storm,” instantly struck a nostalgic chord for Indians across the world.

It wasn’t just music; it was a cultural flex and a bridge between generations. It took the internet by storm and South Asians across the globe could not believe that their favourite Bollywood track was being played during NY City Mayoral win.

Mamdani’s triumph in the New York mayoral election on November 4 sent ripples far beyond NYC, traveling thousands of kilometres away. It struck a chord with Indian youth, from millennials to GenZ, who see in him a blend of rootedness and global belonging. In seconds, a routine post-speech wrap-up transformed into a viral cultural memory, a moment of joyful resonance across the diaspora.

Collective Emotional Memory and the diaspora

Moments like the Dhoom Machaale soundtrack tap into what social psychologists call “collective emotional memory.” For diasporic Indians, it sparks nostalgia, a sense of rootedness, and emotional belonging, creating a bridge between personal identity and collective culture. Music, cinematic cues, and familiar visual storytelling activate feelings of joy, recognition, and connection. Millennials and GenZ, often navigating global identities, felt instantly engaged.

Mamdani’s campaign was not just political; it was emotionally intelligent, harnessing the power of culture to create inclusion and shared excitement. It wasn’t just the victory; Mamdani’s entire campaign lit up Instagram and sparked the global “That’s My Mayor” trend. His social media presence felt nothing like a typical political candidate’s. It was playful, cinematic, effortlessly real, and unfiltered. Millennials and GenZ, who live online and trust vibe over varnish, found themselves drawn to him instinctively. People were calling him their mayor while sitting in completely different corners of the world. What caught people’s attention was how every reel felt relatable, even to those who do not follow global politics closely.

Mamdani’s entire campaign lit up Instagram and sparked the global “That’s My Mayor” trend. Screenshots of TikTok users - Masala Bazaar, Fatima, gloria, and La2thebay.

Shashank R, a financial analyst in Bangalore, said he never imagined he would learn about an election happening 13,000 kilometres away. “I didn’t even know who the NYC Mayor was until I came across Zohran’s campaign videos. I didn’t scroll past the reel where he talks about what Andrew Cuomo has to offer because it was that iconic scene from Deewar,” says Shashank.

Deewar is a popular Bollywood movie from 1970s.

He was also struck by the range of languages Zohran used. “English, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali. He had everyone covered. Something politicians across the world should probably learn from,” he adds. Part of what makes Mamdani’s pop-culture fluency feel so effortless is the family he comes from. His mother, Mira Nair, the acclaimed Indian-American filmmaker behind Monsoon Wedding and The Namesake, has long told stories of migration, identity, and the invisible threads that tie people to place. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan scholar of Indian descent, brings a deep engagement with history, culture, and community. And his wife, Rama Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist and illustrator, adds her own vivid, textured visual world into the mix. Together, they form a global, artistic, multicultural constellation, the kind of background that makes Zohran’s multilingual videos, cinematic references, and cross-cultural instincts feel not like strategy, but second nature.

One of the many Indian-origin supporters cheering from afar, Karthik, summed it up perfectly. To him, Zohran wasn’t just a candidate. He was a phenomenon. “His campaigning style is something Indian leaders should be taking notes from: alive, culturally textured, and instantly relatable. Those small touches, whether it was the Hindi campaign video packed with Bollywood references or the now iconic Dhoom Machaale victory moment, made the entire movement feel electric. His Indian heritage did not feel like an add-on; it flowed through him naturally, helping him connect with the diaspora in a way few politicians ever manage,” said the tech professional.

And beyond the cultural flair, there was grit. “Zohran took on powerful corporate interests and still emerged victorious. It is proof that he truly represented the everyday New Yorker. Leaders in India could learn a lot from the way he ran his campaign,” Karthik added.

His approach also demonstrates the psychology of relatability. By showing vulnerability and humour, Mamdani triggered trust and empathy. Young viewers, whether in India, the diaspora, or New Zealand, responded to his authenticity. Research in social psychology suggests that humans are drawn to leaders who are perceived as genuine and approachable, and Mamdani’s campaign leveraged this instinct to create deep emotional resonance across cultures.

His warmth, openness, and playful humanity struck a chord similar to Jacinda Ardern, leading with empathy and approachability, so that even across oceans, young New Zealanders saw in him someone who made politics feel human, inclusive, and worth paying attention to. Mamdani’s approach was cultural and relatable, and at the same time it was rooted in people-first policies. From rent freezes funded by taxing the wealthy, to universal childcare and free buses, his campaign centered on affordability and accessibility, tackling the real pressures of everyday life.

For young New Zealanders grappling with skyrocketing rents, living costs, and limited social services, these ideas resonate strongly. They offer a reminder that civic engagement can lead to tangible change, and that policies designed with empathy and equity at their core can make a measurable difference in communities.

Mudassira Tahneet, an Indian software engineer based in London, says Zohran’s campaign didn’t just inform her; it opened her up in a way she did not expect. “I loved the way he promoted his work because he made people aware through entertainment. He was everywhere on social media. He went down to the grassroots, and the way he delivered those messages felt open and honest. His intention and sincerity stood out. His catchy, almost cinematic approach made complex issues feel accessible. He taught people things we never stopped to learn.”

What struck her most was the humility woven through it all. “He explained ranking and the process clearly, and I realised how little I actually knew. And not once did he boast about himself. Instead, he said, ‘If you choose me, I’ll do something great with and for you.’ It reminded me of the Hindi movie Nayak (a 2001 cult-favourite Bollywood film starring actor Anil Kapoor, where an ordinary man becomes Chief Minister for a day and transforms the system with honesty and bold action). His sense of inclusivity felt rare. And the way he created real impact in just 30 to 60 second Instagram reels was remarkable.”

This also reminds us of seeing haka performed by Opposition MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke during a sitting last year in New Zealand's Parliament, which went viral in India and became a template for several reels, just like the viral template 'the name is Mamdani, M-A-M-D-A-N-I.'

It highlights young politicians being passionate, and even when some of us may not understand the politics of that place, we still feel connected and in awe. Zohran Mamdani’s victory shows that politics can be human and relatable. From New York to Bangalore, London, and New Zealand, people are beginning to imagine leaders who listen, connect, comprehend, and act with empathy. If a campaign halfway across the world can spark excitement and trust, it gives hope that politics everywhere could one day feel inclusive and worth paying attention to. Even if most people still feel their voices are lost in the noise, the possibility of real change feels closer than ever.                                                                                             

-Asia Media Centre