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Indian-American politician Zohran Mamdani, the son of filmmaker Mira Nair, played a pivotal role in his mother's film. Decades before stepping into public office, Mamdani influenced the casting decisions behind the scenes in his mother's critically acclaimed 2006 film The Namesake.
Mira Nair recently appeared at a Q&A session at the Paris Theater in New York City, held as part of the “Filmmaker Magazine Presents” series. The Vanity Fair director spoke with film critic Siddhant Adlakha following a screening of her film Monsoon Wedding.
In a clip of the conversation shared to X on June 24, 2025, Nair opened up about the casting journey of The Namesake. She recalled how a young Mamdani, then just 12 or 13 years old, had advocated for Kal Penn and convinced her to cast him in the role of Gogol in The Namesake.
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"After that, when he got older and wiser— like when he was twelve or thirteen— he really participated, at least in casting my films. He is the guy, Zohran, who told me when I was making 'The Namesake'… I was chasing movie stars for Gogol’s role, and he said, 'Mumma, you’ve got to see this Harold & Kumar (actor)'," Nair recalled.
Though initially hesitant about casting Penn, whom she viewed as more comedic and “goofy,” the 67-year-old director revealed that she eventually gave in to her son’s insistence. She admitted that after watching Penn’s performance, she was unexpectedly impressed, which led her to arrange a meeting with him. Penn ultimately landed the role of Gogol in the movie.
Reflecting further on young Zohran Mamdani's involvement, Nair called his input both “valuable” and “beautiful,” adding that he gave her this kind of advice “constantly.”
Mira Nair reveals how her son Zohran Mamdani played a surprising role in her decision to turn down Harry Potter for The Namesake
Long before his association with the political sphere, New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani played an unexpected but pivotal role in shaping modern cinema. The Democratic Socialist politician once convinced his mother, celebrated filmmaker Mira Nair, to turn down a major opportunity in Hollywood in favor of a more personal artistic pursuit.
Zohran Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair, known for films such as Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala, and the Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay!, had been offered the chance to direct the fourth installment of the Harry Potter franchise.
In a 2018 interview with journalist Vir Sanghvi at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Nair revealed that Warner Bros. approached her after the studio was impressed by her 2004 film Vanity Fair.
"They saw Vanity Fair, and they saw how vibrant and whatever voluptuous and successful for them it was. This is Warner Brothers, and they thought, well, they'd had a big success with Alfonso Cuaron from Mexico making Harry Potter three, so why not, you know, get the third-world rainbow coalition making Harry Potter four,” she explained.
At the time, however, Nair was already in the early stages of preparing for The Namesake. The story dealt with themes of identity, immigration, and familial grief, and resonated deeply with Nair on a personal level. Her mother-in-law had then recently passed away due to medical malpractice. So Nair found herself processing that loss while immersed in the novel’s world.
"I was deep in that melancholy, and that’s what inspired me to make The Namesake, because Jhumpa had written in it of this terrible melancholy of losing a parent in a foreign country, which is exactly what I was experiencing," Nair added.
Despite the emotional burden, Nair still agreed to meet with Warner Bros. The decision was in part because her son, who was a devoted fan of the Harry Potter series. She recalled being torn between the enormous commercial appeal of directing a globally loved franchise and the intimate emotional landscape of The Namesake.
However, it was a young Zohran Mamdani who helped her make the final decision.
"I asked my 14-year-old son… and he said to me, 'Mama, many good directors can make Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake'. And it was such a liberating and clarifying statement," Nair explained.
At present, Zohran Mamdani has triumphed in New York City’s Democratic primary and emerged as the mayoral candidate. Now, he needs to secure an electoral win to become New York’s likely next mayor.
