People are only just realising why they already recognise Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani's face been all over the news for the last 24 hours after being voted in as the next mayor of New York City.

However, some people actually recognise him from somewhere else, completely away from the world of politics.

The 34-year-old democratic socialist will become the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage, the first born in Africa and the youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on January 1.

More than two million New Yorkers cast ballots in the mayoral race, which was largest turnout in more than 50 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections.

And on 5 November, it was revealed that he had defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo as well as Republican Curtis Sliwa.

But as we say, with Mamdani becoming more of a household name, some people have realised they actually recognise him from the entertainment sphere.

If you think you recognise the new NYC mayor but you're not sure where from - this might be it (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Why is Zohran Mamdani so familiar?

Mamdani's mother is Mira Nair, 68, a highly successful Indian-American filmmaker, best known for movies including Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and Vanity Fair.

Her 1991 film Mississippi Masala, which starred Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury won Best Original Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival.

Mira revealed in 2004 that Warner Bros offered her the chance to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

She said: "I'm not letting all this go to my head. My son Zoharan's excited. I've seen all the Harry Potter movies with him."

However, she turned it down to instead focus her attention on The Namesake, which was all down to advice from her then-teenage son Mamdani.

“He said to me, ‘Mama, many good directors can make Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake," she recalled.

A small acting career

Mamdani even followed in his mum's footsteps and took on a role in a Disney movie back in 2016, called Queen of Katwe, which Nair directed.

He played the character 'Bookie Student' alongside Madina Nalwanga, Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo.

Mamdani appeared in the 2016 movie Queen of Katwe (Disney+)

And the talent doesn't end there - he also helped curate and produce the soundtrack and was listed as 'third assistant director' on the credits.

Mamdani also performed a rap song on the soundtrack, called '#1 Spice', under the name Young Cardamom.

Queen of Katwe debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and in cinemas in late 2016, before going to earn several award nominations for the cast and crew, including a Critics Choice award for Best Young Actor for Madina Nalwanga.

The movie, which is based on a true story, follows the journey of how Phiona Mutesi (Nalwanga) rises from a background of poverty in the slums of Katwe in Kampala to becoming Uganda’s top chess player.

If you want to watch for yourself, the film is available on Disney+ for free, or on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV to rent.