If Zohran Mamdani looks comfortable on camera, there’s a reason for that.
The 33-year-old democratic socialist stunned the political world after hewas backed by voters in the Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday. The formal outcome won’t be known until at least July 1, when New York City releases the initial ranked-choice results. But Mamdani held a clear lead Tuesday night, and his top challenger Andrew Cuomo told supporters he had called Mamdani to concede.
If he wins in November, Mamdani would make history as the first Muslim to serve as mayor of New York City.
Mamdani is no stranger to the limelight.
In addition to having moonlighted as arapper, Mamdani is the son of director Mira Nair, known for films like “The Namesake,” “Queen of Katwe” and “Monsoon Wedding,” a movie that won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival.
“Salaam Bombay!” was her first hit. The 1988 drama, which depicted the daily lives of children living in slums in India’s most populous city, was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA.
Nair followed that up with 1991’s “Mississippi Masala,” a groundbreaking film that centered on an interracial romance between leads Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury, a storyline not often seen at the time in the industry. In 2022, Nairtalked to Slateabout the challenges of getting the movie made, recounting one particular meeting with a studio head at the time.
“I had already got Denzel to say yes. He loved ‘Salaam Bombay!’ and that was the reason (the studio head)wanted to meet me,” she recalled. “I pitched the story, and the head of the studio says to me, ‘Can you make room for a white protagonist?’ That was his exact line.”
The Indian-American director said there was the “novelty of seeing Black and brown skin in the one frame, that was a big thing.”
“Frankly, I have not seen it in 30 years since, as much as it should be celebrated,” Nair said.
Mamdani can thank the movie, in part, for his existence.
Nair met writer and political scientist Mahmood Mamdani while in Uganda conducting research for the film. The couple married, had their son and eventually settled in New York City.
His mother has shown herself publicly to be equal parts proud and supportive.
“Eid Mubarakto all who love humanity. All New York wallahs, listen to this mama: If you want a progressive mayor, remember to vote for our son @zohrankmamdani!,”she wrote in a post on her social media.
Two days prior, she encouraged people to come to a screening and Q&A of “Monsoon Wedding” “but only after you have voted for Zohran Mamdani for Mayor,” she wrote.
“Dance with me in the aisles to herald this historic mayoral campaign that has brought such dignity and joy to New Yorkers,” she wrote. “Aaj mera jee karda! Today my heart desires!”