New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani may be an avowed socialist — some critics argue a communist — but his recent wedding bash was the kind reserved for a Hollywood A-lister or a wealthy capitalist.
Mamdani’s family marked his nuptials with a “lavish, three-day affair at his family’s ritzy, secluded Ugandan compound — complete with masked security guards and a cellphone jamming system,” the New York Post revealed in an exclusive report over the weekend.
The 33-year-old socialist candidate eloped with illustrator Rama Duwaji, 27, in February, but the couple traveled to Uganda for the celebration at Mamdani’s family’s private compound in a wealthy area outside of Kampala, the capital, the Post reported.
According to the newspaper:
The neighborhood is home to some of Uganda’s richest, including billionaire businessman Godfrey Kirumira, a city tycoon with stakes in real estate, tourism, petroleum and infrastructure, and houses neighboring the Mamdanis easily fetch more than $1 million.
In the U.S., the candidate lives with his wife in a rent-stabilized apartment in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens.
A witness told the Post that outside the Mamdani house there were “more than 20 special forces command unit guards” posted at the compound’s three security gates. One gate reportedly had nine guards stationed there.
Buses, Mercedes sedans and a Range Rover shuttled attendees to the celebration, according to the report. On Thursday, partygoers enjoyed fruit juices, traditional for Indian-style events, as well as dancing and music, sources told the Post.
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, center left, appears on stage with his wife, Rama, mother, Mira Nair Duwaji, left, and father, Mahmood Mamdani, at his primary election party, in New York, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
A native of India and credited under the name Mira Nair, Mamdani’s 67-year-old mother is a Bollywood filmmaker with nearly 50 directing and producing credits, including a 1989 Oscar nomination for one of her foreign language dramas.
In India, an upper caste marriage is a highly celebrated event, and Bollywood romantic comedies traditionally resolve with a wedding and elaborate, score-driven choreography. Nair ‘s directing credits include a similar 2001 film called Monsoon Wedding.
Her husband, Mahmood Mamdani, 78, is a professor at Columbia University and has been described as an “anti-Israel” political theorist.
They live on the estate but also reportedly split their time between New York and New Delhi.
Zohran Mamdani was born in Kampala. At age seven he relocated to New York with his family. In 2018 he earned his U.S. citizenship.
The candidate announced last Sunday in an X post with a video message that he was heading to Uganda to celebrate the marriage with his family, adding, “But depending on your perspective, don’t worry or I’m sorry: I’ll be back by the end of the month.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. He also has attended several Bollywood film festivals. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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