Mira Nair, the director who changed Bollywood, is the mother of the new mayor of New York

A part of the spirit of Bollywood runs through the veins of the new mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, son of the renowned Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, director of The monsoon wedding (Monsoon Wedding2001), his most internationally celebrated work. Mamdani, according to provisional results with more than 90% counted, achieved 50.4% of the votes, becoming the first Muslim mayor of the city and arousing the attention of media and politicians around the world.

His son’s victory provoked immediate reactions from Bollywood. Mira Nair shared the story of her colleague Zoya Akhtar on Instagram with the message “Zohran, you beauty”, accompanied by heart and fireworks emojis, and added the song Empire State of Mind to celebrate the victory. In the publication, the mix of maternal pride and artistic admiration that characterizes the filmmaker’s relationship with her son was evident.

Mira Nair has spent a good part of her career between India and the United States. Based in New York for years, she achieved international fame with Monsoon Weddinga celebration of the chaos and beauty of Indian weddings that earned her the Golden Lion in Venice. His filmography combines vibrant aesthetics and a social outlook, including titles such as Hello Bombay! (1988), nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film, and The Namesake (2006), where he explores the dilemmas of identity and migration.

Mira Nair, between India and the United States

That social vision has directly influenced Zohran Mamdani. Since he was little, he listened at home to his parents’ debates about social justice and colonialism, while his mother explored inequality and diversity on screen. In addition, the teachings of his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan academic and political commentator of Indian descent, helped forge in Zohran a critical consciousness and a commitment to the working population, a stance that the American right has harshly criticized. Donald Trump himself even called him a “communist.”

Mamdani became a symbol of political renewal thanks to the massive support of young volunteers in the streets and on social networks. His progressive outlook, along with the artistic and social influence of his parents, consolidated a unique political figure: a mayor who combines cultural sensitivity, critical training and civic commitment, with the imprint of a family where creativity and social conscience have been fundamental values.

Mira Nair, in this context, publicly defined herself as the candidate’s “producer,” reflecting the role that her career and her aesthetic and social outlook had in the formation of a politician who promises to transform New York from diversity and inclusion.