Late Sunday night, angry chants of “Shame” and “You Lied” echoed outside the New York City Mayor's official residence. The protest erupted after unsealed Epstein Files revealed that the Mayor’s mother, world-renowned filmmaker Mira Nair, was listed in an email regarding a 2009 after-party at Ghislaine Maxwell’s Manhattan townhouse. While the DOJ documents do not allege any criminal activity by Nair, the disclosure has sent shockwaves through the city. The emails, made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump in November 2025, place Nair at a social event alongside high-profile figures like Bill Clinton and Jeff Bezos.

In this candid episode of Sit With Hitlist, Randeep Hooda opens up about the life-changing audition that landed him a role in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. From recovering after a major accident to nervously auditioning with no idea who Mira Nair was, Randeep takes us through the serendipitous series of events that launched his film career. Watch as he reflects on theatre, working with Naseeruddin Shah, and the defining moment with Mira that changed everything.