As Mamdani wins NYC mayoral, Mira Nair’s old ‘desi’ comment goes viral
Zohran Mamdani has been elected as New York City’s first Muslim mayor. As celebrations pour in, an old 2013 interview of his mother and filmmaker Mira Nair calling him “not American at all” and “desi” has gone viral on social media.
Zohran Mamdani has made history by winning New York City’s mayoral election, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor. But as congratulations pour in, an old remark by his mother — award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair — is taking over social media, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
A clip from 2013 has resurfaced where Nair affectionately called her son “desi,” saying he is “not an American at all,” sparking a wave of reactions online.
In the interview, the Monsoon Wedding director had said:
“We are not firangs at all. He is very much like us. He is not an Uhmericcan at all… He thinks of himself as a Ugandan and as an Indian.”
Nair had also described him as “very chaalu” and revealed their family speaks Hindustani at home. She noted even back then that politics, not filmmaking, was his calling — a prediction now fulfilled in a historic victory.
Social media users are praising the mother-son duo, celebrating Mamdani’s multicultural roots and Nair’s influence. Others are debating identity, politics, and what it means to be “American” in today’s world.
Nair, known for films like Salaam Bombay! and The Namesake, has won Cannes and Venice awards and earned BAFTA and Oscar nominations — and now, she is also mother to New York City’s newest history-maker.
Similar news
