As New Yorkers cast their votes in one of the city’s most closely watched mayoral races, Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s rise has spotlighted not just his politics, but the family that helped shape his view.

From Kampala to City Hall

Born in 1991 in Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair and scholar Mahmood Mamdani. The couple’s transcontinental life — spanning Africa, India, and the United States — deeply influenced Zohran’s global perspective and political values.

Mira Nair: The storyteller

Mira Nair, born in 1957 in Rourkela, India, is an acclaimed filmmaker known for exploring identity, migration, and cultural intersections. A Harvard graduate, Nair’s debut film Salaam Bombay! (1988) won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes and earned an Oscar nomination.

Her subsequent works —

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