Zohran Mamdani made history on Tuesday as he was elected the 111th mayor of New York City. The 33-year-old became the city's first Muslim mayor and the first person of South Asian descent to lead New York in its 400-year history. He defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa, marking a significant victory for the Democratic Party's progressive wing. Mamdani is the son of acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. Born in Uganda, he moved to New York at age seven and attended Bronx High School of Science before graduating from Bowdoin College in Maine. Before entering politics, Mamdani worked in various fields including as a rap artist, on his mother's film productions, and as a foreclosure-prevention counselor at a nonprofit organization named Chhaya. He promised to restore power to the working class and fight back against a hostile Trump administration.
When Young Zohran Helped His Mother Choose Her Film Path
At the 2018 Jaipur Literature Festival, Mira Nair revealed an interesting story about her career. Warner Brothers had offered her Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire after seeing her work on Vanity Fair. However, she was already preparing to shoot The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri's novel. The project held deep personal meaning as Mira was grieving her mother-in-law's unexpected death. With shooting just a month away, she felt conflicted about the Harry Potter opportunity, especially since her 14-year-old son Zohran had learned to read from those books. When she asked him for advice, he responded wisely that many good directors could make Harry Potter, but only she could make The Namesake. His clarifying statement helped her make the decision.
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