Love in the time of Hinge, courtesy Zohran Mamdani.
The man of the moment has been scripting a new language for political campaigns. His love life and marriage, not directly connected to his political image, have also become tools for him to influence his Gen Z voters. Filmmaker Mira Nair and academic Mahmood Mamdani's son, Zohran Mamdani, met his wife, Rama Duwaji, on Hinge. Ever since he disclosed this publicly, he has gained a new fan base.
"He speaks our language."
"He found love on Hinge," the Internet-savvy Gen Z is already in love with him.
Zohran Mamdani knows how to spin conversations about love. The Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City has found a way to shape his political campaign around the exorbitant cost of living in the city, coloured by his Gen Z-approved love story.
It turns out Zohran Mamdani's idea of love and relationships could challenge the very premise of Dakota Johnson's film, Materialists. The film has already gained status as a pop-culture reference.
Affordability Is About Romance - The Beginning
During his interaction with comedian Kaneez Surka, Zohran Mamdani uttered some epic one-liners. The lines, said playfully, painted Mamdani as the ultimate lover boy of the city.
Well, he's a unicorn (IYKYK, a reference from Materialists).
Kaneez Surka asks Mamdani in his language, "But let's get real: how are you going to help single folks like me find love? What good is 'no cost childcare' if I can't even find a man to have a child with?"
Mamdani, NYC's first Indian-origin Muslim mayoral candidate, pours his heart out, "First of all, I found my wife on Hinge. So, it still works! Just to let people know!"
His old-school love mantra follows, "Second, I think we also need to give people more time. A lot of New Yorkers are basically on a hamster wheel of anxiety. There's not much time to sit in the park, to explore your own city. If you're always worried about whether you have enough money to make your rent, enough money to pay for your metro card... the love of your life may currently be stressed about whether they can afford the most expensive city in the United States to find you!"
"Affordability is about romance," he concludes. We agree.
Mamdani's Affordable Love In A Materialist World
Just after listening to him, think about the scene featuring Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal from Materialists: the woman, who always eyes a rich husband, can't even enjoy the first time she gets intimate with a prospective suitor. Her eyes are stuck on the opulence of a $500 million penthouse.
Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal in a still from Materialists
Photo Credit: YouTube
Or consider the scene where Lucy (Dakota Johnson) admits earnestly to her boyfriend John (Chris Evans) that she hates herself when she can't enjoy food with him at a roadside stall.
Does Mamdani's anti-materialist love echo with the generation he's catering to?
From "in search of labels and love" (Sex And The City) to the tussle between a broke boyfriend and a rich lover, New York City has come a long way. But it doesn't shrug off its materialist tag in popular culture.
Will Mamdani's love story change the label for the city?
The Love Story Of Zohran Mamdani And Rama Duwaji
In December 2024, Mamdani and Duwaji had a private engagement and nikaah ceremony atop a Dubai rooftop near the Burj Khalifa, with only close family in attendance.
Earlier this year, in New York, they performed a simple civil ceremony at the City Clerk's office, a place Zohran calls his "favourite building in New York".
Zohran had kept his marriage quite private until his detractors claimed that he was "hiding his marriage".
He stood for his love and revealed his marriage on Instagram, the way he's upfront about his political discourse.
"Three months ago, I married the love of my life, Rama, at the City Clerk's office. Now, right-wing trolls are trying to make this race - which should be about you - about her.
"Rama isn't just my wife, she's an incredible artist who deserves to be known on her own terms. You can critique my views, but not my family," Mamdani wrote.
Duwaji, usually absent from the public eye, made her first onstage appearance alongside her 33-year-old husband after his Democratic primary win against former Governor Andrew Cuomo. It was one of her rare campaign trail appearances since Mamdani launched his bid in October.
During his victory speech, Zohran Mamdani thanked her. "I must thank my incredible wife," he said. "Rama, thank you," he added, kissing her hand.
She later shared a four-word Instagram post, "couldn't possibly be prouder," accompanied by a photo-booth strip with Mamdani and a voting selfie.
Mamdani and Duwaji's love blossomed through their shared passion for art and self-expression.
The 27-year-old Syrian-American animator and illustrator, based in Brooklyn, New York, creates works ranging from pro-Palestinian messages, including depictions of Israeli violence, ethnic cleansing, and US complicity.
One of her animations, shared by Mamdani, criticises New York charities for allegedly funding Israeli war crimes. "An artist's duty... is to reflect the times," she quoted singer and pianist Nina Simone in an interview.
Love is political. Politics is love. Time will tell if Mamdani will have the last laugh in the political arena. But his anti-materialist, old-school yet Gen Z-approved love story will surely keep hope alive. In love as in politics.