08/22/2026
When Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the first Muslim mayor of New York City, and one of the youngest in its history, he thanked his parents "for raising me, for teaching me how to be in this world, and for having brought me to this city." His mother, the filmmaker Mira Nair, has spent her life telling the stories of those Hollywood rendered invisible -- and that conviction, that every life matters, is the inheritance most visible in her son.
Born in India and educated in Delhi and at Harvard, Nair has always straddled worlds -- and that cultural, geographic and emotional mix sits at the heart of her storytelling. Her debut feature, Salaam Bombay! (1988), was a visceral portrait of life on the streets for India's abandoned children. Described by the Guardian as "fiercely unsentimental and throbbing with energy," the film earned an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film and won the Caméra d'Or at Cannes.
As Nair has said: "I've always been drawn to stories of those who are considered marginalized. If you're not in the mainstream or if you're not in the stream at all, you're virtually invisible. I'm very much about telling stories of those who are my own. If we don't tell our own stories, no one else will."
This philosophy carried through films like Mississippi Masala (1991), which explored racial complexities faced by Indian immigrants in America's deep south, and "Monsoon Wedding" (2001), a vibrant family dramedy set during a chaotic Delhi wedding that captured the tension between tradition and modernity, diaspora identity and familial dysfunction with joyous, unsentimental honesty. The film won the Golden Lion at Venice and became a global hit.
From street children to undocumented migrants to second-generation immigrants, Nair's protagonists are never peripheral -- they are the story. Her influence on her son's worldview runs deep: when she was offered the chance to direct "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," a then 14-year-old Zohran convinced her to turn it down and make The Namesake instead, telling her: "Mama, many good directors can make Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake."
That 2006 film told the story of a second-generation immigrant struggling to reconcile his parents' world with his own, while "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" (2012) boldly examined a Pakistani man imperiled in the US after 9/11. Even her 2016 Disney film "Queen of Katwe," about Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, continued her commitment to elevating stories of resilience from overlooked communities.
Nair's influence is not only cinematic but also civic -- a form of cultural activism that brought dignity and humanity to marginalized lives. Reflecting on her purpose, she explained: "We are important, in our skin, in our color, in our poetry, in our language. When we break the isolation of people and when we realize that our frailties and our struggles are as important as the other, that's the point of art for me."
As New York City's mayor redefines American leadership for a new generation, New Yorkers have embraced him: his favorability has surged to 69% this month, a new high. Mira Nair's insistence that every story matters didn't just shape cinema -- it shaped the leader now fighting to make every New Yorker matter -- and the city is with him.
To learn more or stream Mira Nair's inspiring film about Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, "Queen of Katwe," recommended for ages 10 and up, visit https://www.amightygirl.com/queen-of-katwe-film
To inspire Mighty Girls who dream of being filmmakers someday, we recommend these books about female directors and filmmakers: "Lights! Camera! Alice! The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/lights-camera-alice), "Out of the Shadows: How Lotte Reiniger Made the First Animated Fairytale Movie" for ages 6 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/out-of-the-shadows), and "Film Makers: 15 Groundbreaking Women Directors" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/film-makers)
For children's books that encourage empathy and understanding of Mighty Girl immigrants of the past and present, visit our blog post, "A New Land, A New Life: 25 Mighty Girl Books About the Immigrant Experience" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12855
For books for children and teens about the importance of showing compassion and standing up for others, check out our blog post "60 Mighty Girl Books About Standing Up for Others" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13481
To inspire children and teens with the true stories of women who stood up for women's rights and the rights of others throughout history, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364
Photos by Gauri Gill / https://gaurigill.com/
