On November 5, 2025, Zohran Mamdani became the first South Asian Muslim mayor of New York City, as well as the youngest mayor in over a hundred years. In his victory speech marking the historic win, he quoted Jawaharlal Nehru’s iconic ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech, declaring India’s independence: “A moment comes but rarely in history when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and the soul of a nation finds utterance.” It was an invocation of hope — of something new and transformative taking shape in New York.
Earlier this year, when Mr Mamdani’s campaign was surging ahead during the Democratic primaries, I wrote: “If Mamdani wins, he won’t just be the first South Asian Muslim mayor of New York. He’ll be living proof that cultural belonging and political power don’t have to be mutually exclusive, even in a deeply-divided America; that immigrant stories still have a place within the American dream; and intersectional, inclusive policies can become winning strategies, not just feel-good moral victories.”
This week, Mr Mamdani demonstrated that hope is a revolutionary act and that intersectional, inclusive policies can, indeed, become successful strategies, even in this era of deeply divisive communal politics. And he did so to the beats of ‘Dhoom Machale’ — the iconic banger of a title track from the 2004 Bollywood action-thriller Dhoom.
As we celebrate Mr Mamdani’s victory and look forward to the upcoming elections in our own neighbourhood with the same hopes, dreams, and aspirations for a more inclusive, intersectional future for India and the world at large, here is what we have for you this week:
“The strength of ‘P for Paparazzi’ lies in how it humanises a figure most people dismiss or ignore. Paparazzi are often seen as nuisances—those who invade privacy for profit—but here, we see Manoj’s vulnerability, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil. His constant movement between airports, parties, and film sets reveals a job defined by unpredictability and survival. A single photo can mean a day’s meal or a medical bill. The irony is stark: Manoj’s camera captures lives of unimaginable wealth while his own remains precarious. The film’s power lies in this juxtaposition. It asks us to look beyond the image and confront the system that makes such disparities both visible and invisible at once,” Anahita writes. Read her review of the film here.
Over more than 200 pages, Christian’s portraits highlight the various ways South Asian men express their identity through fashion. His subjects range from master tailors and sneaker enthusiasts to stylists, musicians, and digital creators, broadening the definition of modern South Asian masculinity. The book features subtle confidence, daring experimentation, and a blend of tradition and modernity: heirloom jewellery paired with streetwear, sherwani silhouettes combined with denim, and colours grounded in heritage but confidently worn. Learn more about the limited edition book here.
Last weekend, UNESCO announced Lucknow as a Creative City of Gastronomy. With this announcement, Lucknow has been added to the list of 408 Creative Cities across 100 countries, which previously included only Hyderabad from India. From the grandeur of the Bara Imambara to the delicate artistry of chikankari embroidery, Lucknow’s traditions have long mingled with local influences to create the city’s distinct Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. Anahita takes a deep dive into what makes the city’s food so iconic in her article here.
The story of rock music in Pakistan reflects a generation pushing beyond polite pop towards something rawer, more impatient, and full of new possibilities. In the 1990s, bands such as Vital Signs and Junoon emerged as pioneers of what is now called Pakistani rock — Vital Signs laying the foundation in the late 1980s, and Junoon transforming the scene by blending electric guitars with Sufi-inspired lyrics. This legacy has always persisted in South Asian cultural memory, even as media and tastes changed. Today, a Karachi-based band called Dulhay Mian carries both that legacy and a fresh, new expression of it. Read Disha’s article on the band here.
This year, the Indian Photo Festival examines both personal and political themes, merging individual and collective experiences. Ranita Roy’s ‘Something Watching You’ illustrates sleep paralysis as a mix of fear and vulnerability, turning private anxiety into empathy. Her childhood loneliness and night terrors influence her work, emphasising unseen mental struggles. Hari Priya’s ‘Blueming’ seeks solace in water, inspired by her life between Hyderabad and New York. She employs cyanotypes inspired by the ‘blue mind’ effect—calmness from being near water—and performs self-portraits with her body as a site of lichen growth to demonstrate how stillness, community, and environment build resilience. Both artists depict the body as a landscape of memory, fear, and healing. Disha writes here.
Organised by Cinedarbaar and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Tourism, and AI Impact Summit (MeitY), CEF 2025 aims to drive public-private collaboration to boost the creative industries. At a time when India is swiftly becoming one of the world’s largest content-producing nations, the forum provides a timely platform for in-depth dialogue, policy development, and opportunity identification. Learn more about CEF 2025 here.
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