Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair on Tuesday shared Indian movie director Zoya Akhtar’s praise for the former’s son, Zohran Mamdani, on his electoral victory in the crucial New York Mayor elections.
Nair reposted Akhtar’s Instagram story that was captioned “Zohran you beauty”, with emojis of hearts and fireworks. Akhtar also said “Zohran Mamdani has officially won the NYC mayoral race at 34 years old”.
The development came hours after New Yorkers elected young leftist Mamdani as their next mayor and Democrats won two key state governor races, with US voters delivering an early warning to President Donald Trump ahead of 2026’s midterms.
Born in Uganda, Mamdani is the son of renowned historian Mahmood Mamdani and Mira Nair, who directed the classic “Salaam Bombay!” Some of his detractors earlier called him a “nepo baby.”
In a victory for the Democratic party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” Mamdani declared to a roaring crowd at his victory party.
He cast his win as a boon for blue-collar workers struggling to get by. “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change,” he said, vowing to “wake up each morning with a singular purpose: To make this city better for you than it was the day before.”
At his victory party in Brooklyn, Mamdani supporters cheered and embraced, some tearfully, after The Associated Press called the race. Campaign posters flew through the air, as one person hoisted the official flag of New York City and Bad Bunny played from the speakers.
The mood was far more muted at Cuomo’s party at a midtown Manhattan theater. In his concession speech, a defiant Cuomo called his campaign “a caution flag that we are headed down a dangerous, dangerous road” and noted that “almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met.”
(With inputs from foreign agencies)
