'Is your filmmaker mother disappointed?': Zohran Mamdani shares Mira Nair's take on his videos
Indian-origin Democrat Zohran Mamdani has been turning heads in the 2025 New York mayoral race, taking on incumbent Andrew Cuomo with the hope of becoming the city's first Muslim and Indian-American mayor.
The 33-year-old democratic socialist is the son of renowned Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair and Ugandan academic Mahmood Mamdani. As his campaign gains momentum, Mamdani has cleverly woven Bollywood references and Hindi into his outreach to New York's diverse voter base.
Appearing on the Throwing Fits podcast, Mamdani was asked: "Is your filmmaker mother disappointed that you are filming all your social media content on an iPhone and in 16x9?" Mamdani laughed before revealing that, far from being disappointed, Nair is always interested in his campaign's video production.
"She asks me 'Why aren't you sending me cuts?'," Mamdani said. He added that his mother even jokes about the quality of his viral videos: "She was telling somebody, 'His stuff is so good, people are asking if I am making it.'"
A post shared by Throwing Fits (@throwingfits)
Nair has openly celebrated her son's political rise. After Mamdani won his election to the New York State Assembly, she posted on X: 'And Zohran is in! Change is gonna come.'
Mamdani's unique campaign style includes one particularly viral video shot entirely in Hindi, amassing millions of views on social media. The video riffs off scenes and dialogues from Amitabh Bachchan's 1975 classic Deewar, with Mamdani cheekily reworking the iconic line "mere pass maa hai" to tell voters that they are what he has.
Beyond his creative campaigning, Mamdani has laid out an ambitious progressive platform: guaranteeing housing for all New Yorkers, eliminating cash bail, banning solitary confinement, fixing the MTA, ending workplace discrimination, and championing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani moved to New York City with his family at the age of seven and has called the city home ever since.
(Also read: Who is Rama Duwaji? Meet Zohran Kwame Mamdani's wife as he shares beautiful wedding photos on Instagram)
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