Mira Nair’s film, The Namesake, gained renewed attention when she shared that her son, Zohran Mamdani, played a crucial role in casting Kal Penn as Gogol. Zohran, as a teenager, advocated for Penn after seeing his potential in ‘Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,’ a decision that proved pivotal. He also influenced Nair to choose ‘The Namesake’ over a Harry Potter film, recognizing her unique ability to direct the former.