Because the race for the 2024 U.S. presidential election heats up, Kamala Harris’s marketing campaign has taken a artistic flip by tapping into Bollywood’s energetic and vibrant model. A brand new marketing campaign track, Nacho Nacho, impressed by the hit track Naatu Naatu from the blockbuster Indian film RRR, has been launched to have interaction South Asian voters and rally help for the Indian-origin vp.
The video, produced by Ajay Bhutoria, a distinguished Indian-American chief and member of the Nationwide Finance Committee for Harris’s marketing campaign, is a key a part of the marketing campaign’s efforts to attach with almost 5 million South Asian voters in vital battleground states. Bhutoria, who was additionally instrumental in utilizing Bollywood-inspired campaigns in the course of the 2020 election, hopes to mobilize voters in states comparable to Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona.
Excited to share the discharge of our new music video, ‘Nacho Nacho,’ supporting @VP Kamala Harris for President! Let’s mobilize and end up the South Asian vote in key battleground states @DNC @CNN @ABC @maddow @aajtak @ndtvindia @IndiaToday @republic pic.twitter.com/x92vns4gH8
— Ajay Jain Bhutoria (@ajainb) September 8, 2024
Nacho Nacho encompasses a vibrant reimagining of the Naatu Naatu monitor, with a contemporary twist that features lyrics starting with “Hamari Ye Kamala Harris.” The track highlights Harris’s marketing campaign by combining full of life Bollywood music with clips from her marketing campaign path. The purpose is to energise the South Asian voter base, who could really feel a deep connection to Harris’s Indian heritage and determine with the cultural nods within the marketing campaign.
The video opens with snippets of Harris high-fiving a pupil in Pennsylvania and shortly transitions into scenes from her marketing campaign, all set to the upbeat rhythm of Nacho Nacho. The catchy tune and the Bollywood visuals create a celebratory and hopeful environment, making the marketing campaign really feel like a cultural occasion.
Ritesh Parikh, who produced the track, teamed up with well-known singer Shibani Kashyap to convey this distinctive venture to life. All through the video, messages from neighborhood leaders in numerous Indian languages—Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Hindi—reinforce Harris’s message and remind voters of her numerous background. Bhutoria’s aim is to spotlight Harris’s significance not only for Indian Individuals however for the broader South Asian neighborhood.
The choice to make use of Bollywood music as a rallying cry isn’t new for Harris’s marketing campaign. In 2020, Bollywood-themed movies have been used to nice impact, going viral and serving to mobilize Indian-American voters, a lot of whom have grown up watching Bollywood movies and listening to its music. Bhutoria believes that this method will as soon as once more be efficient, notably given Harris’s robust ties to the Indian-American neighborhood and her function as a trailblazer for individuals of South Asian descent.
“Vice President Kamala Harris is an emblem of hope and illustration for greater than 4.4 million Indian Individuals,” Bhutoria mentioned in an interview with ANI. He defined that utilizing Bollywood music is a strategy to unite and interact the South Asian neighborhood, guaranteeing they really feel represented and valued within the political course of.
As Bhutoria famous, “She represents a brighter future for Indian-Individuals and can flip the web page on the division attributable to Donald Trump.” For Harris’s group, the main focus is on harnessing the facility of tradition and neighborhood to drive voter turnout, notably in states that might show pivotal within the upcoming election.
The discharge of Nacho Nacho is just the start. Bhutoria and his group plan to supply further Bollywood-inspired content material, with the aim of guaranteeing South Asian voters are absolutely engaged and mobilized earlier than Election Day. They hope to duplicate the success of their 2020 efforts, the place comparable movies struck a chord with Indian-American voters.
“We’re ensuring each South Asian vote counts,” Bhutoria mentioned. With the presidential election being intently watched and extremely aggressive, the Harris marketing campaign’s concentrate on energizing particular voter teams like South Asians may play an important function within the last consequence.
As a younger woman visiting my grandparents in India, my grandfather took me on his morning walks, the place he would focus on the significance of preventing for equality and preventing corruption. He was a retired civil servant who had been a part of the motion to win India’s independence.… pic.twitter.com/vOpgtsomQN
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 8, 2024
Whereas the Nacho Nacho video focuses on Bollywood music, it’s a part of a broader technique that the Harris marketing campaign is using to make sure her message reaches numerous demographic teams. Harris’s group is keenly conscious that she represents a singular mix of African American and Indian heritage, and they’re working to enchantment to voters who join with both or each features of her id.
Bhutoria emphasised that there’s way more to return, together with a mixture of Hindi and South Asian languages to make sure the message resonates with as many individuals as doable. The Harris marketing campaign is betting that this cultural connection won’t solely energize voters but additionally translate into excessive voter turnout in vital swing states.
Because the 2024 election attracts nearer, the Harris marketing campaign’s use of Bollywood-inspired content material like Nacho Nacho showcases the facility of cultural connection in politics, notably in a various nation like america, the place communities with wealthy heritage and distinctive backgrounds play a vital function in shaping the way forward for the nation.