Filmmaker Mira Nair Celebrates Son Zohran Mamdani’s Historic New York Mayor Election Win With Iconic Jay-Z Line

Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, mother of Zohran Mamdani, celebrated her son’s victory in the New York City mayoral election on Tuesday with an Instagram story.

As soon as the election results were announced, Mira Nair reposted a story by Indian film director Zoya Akhtar, captioned, “Zohran, you beauty," and paired it with Jay-Z’s iconic song Empire State of Mind. Mamdani, 34, is the son of Nair and Ugandan-American academic Mahmood Mamdani.

 The announcement came just hours after New Yorkers elected the young leftist Mamdani as their new mayor. The Democrats also secured two major state governor victories, marking a strong message to President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

For those who don’t know, Mira Nair is an Indian-American filmmaker. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with the drama Salaam Bombay!, which even got nominations for the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best International Feature Film. Her next project, the 1991 romantic drama Mississippi Masala, was selected for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film. She later directed the 2001 comedy-drama Monsoon Wedding, which won the Golden Lion at the 58th Venice International Film Festival.

Zohran Mamdani made history on Tuesday by becoming New York’s 111th mayor. He is the city’s first Muslim mayor and the first person of South Asian descent to hold the position in its 400-year history. Born in Uganda, he is the son of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair and Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor and expert on colonialism.

In a major win for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Mamdani moved to New York when he was seven. He studied at Bronx High School of Science and later at Bowdoin College in Maine. Before entering politics, he explored various careers like being a rap artist and working on his mother’s films, to serving as a foreclosure-prevention counsellor at the nonprofit organisation Chhaya.

Also Read: Kerala State Awards Controversy: Child Artist Devanandha Jibin Calls Out Prakash Raj For Overlooking Young Talent