In a 2013 interview with the Hindustan Times, filmmaker Mira Nair, mother of Democratic socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, described her son as “not an American at all,” sparking criticism for what opponents called divisive and ungrateful language. Nair stated, “He is a total desi. Completely. We are not firangs at all. He is very much us. He is not an Uhmericcan (American) at all. He was born in Uganda, raised between India and America. He is at home in many places.”
The term “firang,” historically used in Hindi and Urdu to refer to foreigners or Westerners, drew sharp condemnation from attorney Mehek Cooke, a GOP consultant. “It’s the word used back in India to mock outsiders, to say you don’t belong,” Cooke said. “Using it here about your own child raised in the United States carries the same tone as calling someone a derogatory word—or worse.”
Cooke criticized Nair’s remarks as hypocritical, noting Mamdani lived in the U.S. since age seven and only naturalized as a citizen in 2018. “When Mamdani’s mother says her son was ‘never a firang and only desi,’ it’s a rejection of America,” she said. “It’s ungrateful, disrespectful, and frankly repulsive to live in this country since age seven, receive every freedom, education, and opportunity America offers, and still deny being American.”
Nair emphasized her family’s cultural ties, stating, “We only speak Hindustani at home,” and described her son as a “very chaalu fellow,” meaning savvy or street smart. His father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, has previously criticized America, calling it “the genesis of… settler-colonialism” and “the inspiration” for the Nazis.
The comments have reignited debates about identity and allegiance, with critics arguing that rejecting American identity while benefiting from U.S. opportunities reflects a broader disregard for national values.
