Zohran Mamdani was elected the 111th mayor of New York City on Tuesday, making history as the city's first Muslim mayor and first person of South Asian descent to hold the office in its 400-year history. The 33-year-old far-left Democrat defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Born in Uganda, Mamdani is the son of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He moved to New York at age seven, attended Bronx High School of Science and Bowdoin College in Maine. Before entering politics, he worked as a rap artist, on his mother's films, and as a foreclosure-prevention counselor at nonprofit Chhaya. His election represents a significant victory for the Democratic Party's progressive wing, as he promises to transform government to restore power to the working class.
How Teen Zohran Helped Mira Nair Pick Between Two Films
At the 2018 Jaipur Literature Festival, Mira Nair revealed that Warner Brothers offered her Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while she was preparing The Namesake. She was deeply affected by her mother-in-law's unexpected death due to medical malpractice, which inspired her connection to Jhumpa Lahiri's novel about losing a parent in a foreign country. Facing the dilemma just a month before shooting began, she consulted her 14-year-old son Zohran, who had learned to read from Harry Potter books. He told her many good directors could make Harry Potter, but only she could make The Namesake. Mira called his response liberating and clarifying, helping her choose her own film.
Source: Link