I was not aware of Mamdani's Indian origins.
Zohran Mamdani, born October 18, 1991, in Kampala, Uganda, is of Indian descent through his parents, Mahmood Mamdani, an Indian-Ugandan academic of Gujarati Shia Muslim descent, and Mira Nair, an Indian-American filmmaker of Hindu Punjabi descent. He moved to New York City at age seven, became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018, and is a practicing Shia Muslim. Mamdani is a New York State Assemblymember representing the 36th district in Queens since 2021 and a Democratic Socialist. He is the presumptive Democratic nominee for New York City mayor in the 2025 election, having defeated Andrew Cuomo in the primary. His platform focuses on affordable housing, free public transit, and progressive policies. He’s also known for his activism, including hunger strikes for taxi driver debt relief and Gaza ceasefire advocacy, and his past as a hip-hop artist under the name Mr. Cardamom.
Mira Nair (born October 15, 1957, in Rourkela, Odisha, India) is an acclaimed Indian-American filmmaker of Punjabi Hindu descent, renowned for her vibrant storytelling that bridges Indian and global perspectives. Raised in Bhubaneswar, she studied sociology at Delhi University before earning a scholarship to Harvard University, where she honed her craft in documentary filmmaking. Nair gained international recognition with her debut feature, Salaam Bombay! (1988), a raw portrayal of Mumbai’s street children, which won the Camera d’Or at Cannes and earned an Oscar nomination. Her notable films include Mississippi Masala (1991), exploring interracial romance; Monsoon Wedding (2001), a colorful celebration of Indian family life that won the Golden Lion at Venice; and The Namesake (2006), a poignant adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel about Indian immigrant identity. Nair’s work often tackles themes of cultural displacement, love, and social issues with a lyrical yet grounded style. She founded the Maisha Film Lab in Uganda to mentor African filmmakers and has directed projects across genres, including the TV series A Suitable Boy (2020). Married to Ugandan-Indian academic Mahmood Mamdani, she is the mother of New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani. Nair splits her time between New York, Kampala, and New Delhi, continuing to shape global cinema with her distinctive voice.
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I just learned @MiraPagliNair that @ZohranKMamdani is your son. Congratulations! https://t.co/BPYqV4za9d
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 28, 2025
