Did you know? NYC's new mayor Zohran Mamdani is son of Oscar-nominated director Mira Nair

Scripting history, Democrat Zohran Mamdani has won the New York mayoral elections on November 4, defeating former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. Mamdani will take office on January 1, 2026, becoming the first Muslim and first Asian American to lead the mayor’s office of America’s biggest city.

Soon after Zohran’s victory was announced, everyone was quick to Google the new NYC mayor, his origins, background, and family, and many were surprised to learn that he is the son of acclaimed Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.

Who are Zohran Mamdani’s parents?

He was born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991 to Indian-origin parents, Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair. Mahmood is a Ugandan scholar of Indian heritage, a prominent academic and political commentator, and a professor of anthropology at Columbia University. Mira Nair, his mother, is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

Mahmood and Mira raised Zohran in Uganda and South Africa before they moved to New York, which became home to the family of three.

Growing up in a household shaped by multiple diasporas and growing up in the countries, thousands of kilometres away from his parents’ homelands, Zohran always stayed rooted in his Indian and Ugandan heritage as he grew up in American society.

Being the son of a renowned filmmaker, Mamdani grew up on film sets, immersed in the world of cinema through his mother. Throughout his campaign, India and Indian cinema have often taken the spotlight as he never forgets to quote famous dialogues from Bollywood classics, a sign of his mother’s cinematic influence. Whether it was a line from the legendary film Deewar or the Bollywood song “Dhoom Machale” playing during his victory speech, his love for film clearly shines through.

While Zohran is often seen celebrating typical masala films, his mother's work reflected a different kind of cinema, one that focuses on realism, emotion, social commentary and the complexities of cultural identity.

Mira, an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and a Cannes winner

His mother, Mira Nair, is one of India’s most acclaimed filmmakers, known for telling stories that explore gender, migration, and marginality. She moved from India to build an award-winning international career, often focusing on people living between cultures.

Born in India, she went on to study at Harvard University, where she developed an interest in documentary filmmaking. After making a few documentaries and short films, she made her feature film debut with Salaam Bombay! (1988), a film about street children in Mumbai.

The critically acclaimed movie earned the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. She then went on to direct films such as Mississippi Masala (1991), Monsoon Wedding (2001), and The Namesake (2006). The 2006 film, starring Irrfan Khan and Tabu, revolved around Indian migrants to America. And, did you know that Zohran, who had been helping her mother make decisions since the age of 12, advised her to choose Namesake instead of the Harry Potter film.