How Mira Nair’s cinema shaped Zohran Mamdani’s politics

New York City wakes up to a new era, one scripted, perhaps poetically, by art and politics alike. Zohran Mamdani , at 34, has made history as the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor. But last night, as cameras turned toward the jubilant crowd in Queens, a voice rose above the applause. “I am the producer,” said Mira Nair , filmmaker, mother, and the real architect behind this story of representation. Because before Mamdani ever produced a political campaign, Nair produced worlds. Worlds of colour, contradiction, and conscience. Mira Nair’s cinematic journey began with Salaam Bombay! (1988), a raw portrayal of street children surviving in Mumbai’s underbelly. It was not just a debut; it was an awakening. The film earned global acclaim, an Academy Award nomination, and set th