Zohran Mamdani’s Bengali Connection, Shaped by a Filmmaker Mother’s Influence

Zohran K. Mamdani, the 33-year-old rising star of New York City politics, has not only made headlines by winning the Democratic primary for mayor but also drawn attention for his surprising command of the Bengali language. His connection to Bengali culture, however, is no political gimmick—it is deeply rooted in his upbringing and shaped by none other than his mother, internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair.

During his campaign, Mamdani released a viral video where he explained ranked-choice voting in broken but endearing Bengali, alongside New York City council member Shahana Hanif. At the end of the clip, he smiles and asks, “My Bangla is good, no?”—a moment that charmed many Bengali-speaking voters.

This cultural fluency traces back to his mother’s influence. Mira Nair grew up in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, a region with a significant Bengali population. Her exposure to the language and culture left a lasting impression—something she later channeled into her acclaimed film The Namesake, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel about a Bengali immigrant family in the U.S.

Interestingly, it was a teenage Zohran who persuaded her to choose The Namesake over an offer to direct a Harry Potter film. “There are many who can direct Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake,” he told her at age 14.

That same cultural awareness now finds expression in Zohran’s political identity. Whether speaking in Bengali with shopkeepers in Jackson Heights or recognizing “Bangladeshi aunties” in his victory speech, Mamdani’s approach goes beyond outreach—it’s personal. Raised between South Asian heritage and American life, he represents a generation that is confident in its identity rather than confused by it.

In many ways, Zohran echoes the spirit of a line from the classic Bollywood film Deewaar: “Mere paas maa hai” (“I have my mother”). His own version might be—“I have my mother, and with her, I have Bengali.”