New York City's newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani, who created history with his big win, ended his victory speech with the song, Dhoom Machale from the Dhoom movies.
Why didn't Zohran pick a song from his mum Mira Nair's beautiful cinema, especially Monsoon Wedding which had some fabulous songs?
A look at the many magical movies Mira has made over the years.
Salaam Bombay! (1988)
Cast: Shafiq Syed, Anita Kanwar, Chanda Sharma, Irrfan.
Salaam Bombay is a heartbreaking, yet delightful tale of street children in Bombay, Aseem Chhabra writes, explaining why Mira Nair's films speak to him.
Nair cast real street kids, had them participate in a workshop conducted by theatre guru Barry John. This was also Irrfan's debut film.
It is an essential film, a slice-of-life story about the street kids of Bombay that few of us ever acknowledge.
Salaam Bombay made such an impact that it received an Oscar nomination.
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Cast: Sarita Choudhury, Denzel Washington, Roshan Seth.
Mira weaves a complex narrative of displacement, migration, and an inter-racial romance that featured debutante Sarita Choudhury and Denzel Washington, who had already won an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category.
The Perez Family (1995)
Cast: Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Anjelica Huston, Chazz Palminteri.
Mira examines the plight of Cuban immigrants, who arrive in Miami as part of the Mariel boat lift, facing hardships in the new land.
She paints the film with humour, sensuality, memories and nostalgia for what they have lost, Aseem writes.
Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996)
Cast: Indira Varma, Sarita Choudhury, Naveen Andrews.
Two women's journeys get intertwined through passion and power.
Mira challenges patriarchal constraints, celebrating sensuality, artistic agency, and the political charge of female self-possession and desire.
Monsoon Wedding (2001)
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Lillete Dubey, Shefali Shah, Vasundhara Das.
Mira examines post-liberalisation India, the exuberant Punjabi culture of Delhi and an upstairs-downstairs story that has all heart.
And an amazing soundtrack, Aseem endorses.
Vanity Fair (2004)
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
Mira's postcolonial take on William Makepeace Thackeray's novel celebrates Becky Sharp's ambition while skewering class hypocrisy, empire, and gendered power through wit and critique.
But most importantly, like Mira says in an interview, 'It asks the questions we ask ourselves today, and will continue asking throughout existence. Which of us has dreams? And when we achieve them, are we happy? And what is true contentment?'
The Namesake (2006)
Cast: Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kal Penn.
Mira directed Irrfan in one of his most memorable roles, looking at a Bengali-American family's immigrant struggles in the US.
It has an unforgettable scene with Irrfan, who tells his young son, Gogol, 'Remember you and I made the journey and went to a place where there was no more left to go.'
New York, I Love You (2008)
Cast: Natalie Portman, Irrfan Khan.
In Mira's segment, a Hasidic woman and diamond dealer reconnect. She distills yearning and cross-cultural affection, reflecting cosmopolitan tenderness within a city shaped by memory and migration.
Natalie Portman once said about Mira: 'Mira was a true inspiration to me. She's so straight-forward, clear and very in control without sacrificing any of her femininity. It was great luck to have this chance to work with her just before my own directorial experience on the film.'
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist reminds us about the fears immigrants had, post 9/11.
It also explains why a man, who loved America, could change so dramatically.
As Riz Ahmed said, this was a very American story.
Queen of Katwe (2016)
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Madina Nalwanga.
Mira celebrates African agency, education, and female empowerment, rejecting Western pity and rooted in communal pride.
Queen Of Katwe feels almost like Mira is making a Bollywood film in Africa.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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