Zohran Mamdani’s filmmaker mom once described the socialist mayoral front-runner as “not an American at all” in a newly surfaced interview about his Indian roots.
Mamdani’s mother, Mira Nair, made the remarks in a 2013 interview with the Hindustan Times when she was asked about her then-21-year-old son’s upbringing.
“He is a total desi,” Nair told the outlet, referring to the Hindi and Urdu term used to describe those of Indian descent.
“Completely. We are not firangs at all. He is very much us. He is not an Uhmericcan (American) at all,” she continued.
“He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America. He is at home in many places. He thinks of himself as a Ugandan and as an Indian.”
The term “firangs” is often used informally in the Hindi and Urdu language to refer to foreigners.
At the time of the interview, Mamdani — who moved to New York at age 7 and became a naturalized US citizen in 2018 — was a student at Bowdoin College, a liberal arts school in Maine.
His mom went on to say in the interview that the family only spoke “Hindustani at home.”
Elsewhere, she described Mamdani as a “very chaalu fellow” — meaning street smart — and alluded to his early political aspirations.
“He is very involved with current affairs, politics, and political issues,” she said at the time.
“I think he can be engaged in the world in someway to make a difference. He is very very interested in that.”
The Post has reached out to Mamdani’s campaign about his mom’s newly unearthed remarks.
