Mira Nair Called Son 'Not American' in Resurfaced Interview

A resurfaced 2013 Hindustan Times interview shows filmmaker Mira Nair describing her son Zohran Mamdani as “not an American at all,” calling him “a total desi,” saying the family were “not firangs,” and noting they spoke Hindustani at home. Nair emphasized Mamdani’s multinational upbringing—born in Uganda, raised between India and the U.S., and moved to New York at age seven—and said he thinks of himself as Ugandan and Indian. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist running for New York City mayor who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018, studied at Bowdoin College and has been linked to student activism, including co-founding a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter. The remarks have resurfaced during his mayoral bid and drawn criticism from conservative commentators such as Mehek Cooke, who called the use of “firang” a slur and questioned his loyalties. The episode has been widely covered across U.S. and conservative media, and outlets reported Mamdani’s campaign was contacted for comment.