New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration ceremony on 1 January concluded with a Punjabi music performance by Toronto-based artist Babbulicious.
Mamdani, 34, was sworn in on Thursday as the first Muslim mayor of New York City.
Born to Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and academician Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan of Indian origin, Mamdani has repeatedly highlighted his South Asian roots during his campaign.
One viral video featured Mamdani recreating the iconic Deewar scene where Amitabh Bachchan’s character lists his possessions — “Aaj mere paas buildingein hai, property hai, bank balance hai.” The punchline came when Mamdani, striking Shah Rukh Khan’s signature arms-stretch pose, looked into the camera and said simply, “Aap — I have you.”
He also played the Bollywood song Dhoom Machale during his victory speech in November. The Punjabi performance marked the latest in a series of such cultural references.
The musical lineup at the inauguration included welcome music by dj mOma, Grammy-winning singer Lucy Dacus performing Bread and Roses. Actor Mandy Patinkin along with the PS22 Chorus of Staten Island performed Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Babbulicious performed at the conclusion of the ceremony, singing the Punjabi song Gaddi Red Challenger, with Mamdani seen dancing along with his wife, Rama Duwaji.
However, a section of Americans were not happy with the performance. As videos went viral, some users objected to Punjabi music being played at the inauguration of the New York City mayor. “Are NYers really going to put up with this? I am guessing we will see major backlash soon,” Republican politician Josh Barnett wrote.
Other X users countered the criticism and supported Mamdani. “Major backlash for what? A song. Something wrong with you gang,” wrote one user.