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Zohran Mamdani has emerged victorious in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary against Andrew Cuomo. This means that Mamdani can compete against other candidates in the upcoming general elections in November, that will decide the Mayor of New York. In an X post dated June 25, 2025, he wrote:
“In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it’s done. My friends, it is done. And you are the ones who did it. I am honored to be your Democratic nominee for the Mayor of New York City.”
For the unversed, Zohran Mamdani was born to Indian filmmaker Mira Nair and her husband Mahmood Mamdani, in October 1991. While Zohran was born in Uganda, he immigrated to the US as a child and graduated from here as well.
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Mira Nair is a renowned Indian filmmaker who's originally from Rourkela, Orissa. She graduated from Miranda House, a prominent college in Delhi. Before becoming a filmmaker, Nair was reportedly interested in acting and had been part of plays penned down by Badal Sircar, a popular theater director.
Nair is known for movies like The Namesake, Salaam Bombay!, The Perez Family, Monsoon Wedding, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, Vanity Fair, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. She has also made several short films, namely A Fork, a Spoon and a Knight, and Migration.
On the personal front, Nair first got married to photographer Mitch Epstein, but the couple got divorced in 1987. Her second husband is Mahmood Mamdani.
Mahmood is an Indo-Ugandan academician. Born in Bombay in April 1946, Mahmood has served as the director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Kampala. The 79-year-old scholar belongs to family of Gujarati muslims and has received his education in Tanzania.
He is primarily known for his expertise in the study of African and international politics. Mahmood and Mira Nair reportedly met in Uganda 1989 and the couple tied the knot in 1991. Nair apparently was in Uganda at the time when they met, researching for her 1991 movie Mississippi Masala.
Shortly after their marriage, the couple welcomed Zohran Mamdani in October 1991. Zohran has served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
Zohran Mamdani apparently convinced Mira Nair to direct The Namesake
Amid the celebrations of his victory, a video of an old interview of filmmaker Mira Nair resurfaced on the internet. In the clip, Nair was in the middle of a conversation with Vir Sanghvi at the Jaipur Literature Festival in February 2018.
The director spoke about her son Zohran, stating that it was him who convinced her to work on The Namesake. Nair first shared that she was considered to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. However, Zohran reportedly changed her mind.
In the interview, Nair said that she was in a bad phase of life at the time since her mother-in-law passed away. That's when the director read Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. Around the same time, Nair apparently got the offer to direct the Harry Potter movie.
Mira Nair recalled asking her son, who had been a Potterhead, regarding the project that she should choose. She then quoted what Zohran Mamdani told her:
"He told me there are many good directors who can make Harry Potter, but there is only one director who can make Namesake."
The Namesake was finally released in 2006 and had an impressive cast of Irrfan Khan, Tabu, and Kal Penn. Irrfan Khan played a character named Ashoke Ganguli, and Tabu portrayed Ashima Ganguli. Meanwhile, Penn essayed the role of Nikhil, Ashoke and Ashima's son.
In a viral clip on X, Mira Nair was also seen admitting that it was Zohran, who asked her to give Penn a shot and also watch Harold & Kumar.
"Tonight we made history" — Zohran Mamdani said in his victory speech
Zohran Mamdani achieved victory against Andrew Cuomo and became a Democratic nominee for New York mayoral race on June 24, 2025. According to The Guardian, the 33-year-old politician said during his victory speech:
"Tonight we made history."
As for Andrew Cuomo, he was apparently trying to have a comeback after filing a resignation years back in 2021, due to sexual harrasment allegations. Trip Yang, a political strategist, shared a statement with BBC on June 24:
"A massive win for Zohran Mamdani that shows that when Donald Trump is President, New York Democrats want to see their leaders fight with enthusiasm and courage, and that's what Zohran showed voters."
While Cuomo conceded to Mamdani, he could still compete in the general elections in November on "an independent line." During an interview with The New York Times on June 24, Andrew Cuomo confirmed that he is yet to make a decision on the same.
Zohran Mamdani is a relatively new face in the political sphere, per BBC. He reportedly went viral over making videos asking certain questions to New York voters who had voted from Donald Trump in the presidential elections last year.
