The late hours of November 4 in the US brought the jubilant news that the supporters of leader Zohran Mamdani were hoping for. The 34-year-old became the first South Asian and Muslim mayor of New York City. For those in India too, it was a moment to cheer. What followed were powerful moments — the newly elected mayor gave a compelling speech, stating, “I am Muslim, and I refuse to apologise for it”, and rounded it off with the perfect Bollywood icing that no one saw coming. The auditorium echoed with Dhoom Machale, the title track of Dhoom (2004), as Mamdani smiled at the huge crowd.

Pritam