Baahubali
star
Prabhas
has
been
named
the
number
one
South
Asian
celebrity
in
the
world
for
2021
by
the
UK-based
Eastern
Eye
weekly
newspaper.
The
42-year-old
actor,
known
for
Telugu
blockbusters
Bujjigadu,
Billa,
Darling
and
two
Baahubali
movies,
was
chosen
for
his
ability
to
draw
attention
to
regional
language
films
in
India
for
the
annual
'50
Asian
Celebrities
In
The
World'
list,
to
be
published
on
Friday
in
Eastern
Eye.
Prabhas
ranked
ahead
of
many
global
stars
from
the
world
of
film,
television,
literature,
music
and
social
media
and
stood
out
for
changing
the
face
of
the
world's
largest
film
industry.
"Prabhas
has
drawn
attention
to
regional
language
films
in
India
in
a
way
not
seen
before.
He
has
shown
that
Bollywood
is
no
longer
the
boss
and
inspired
everyone
to
release
Indian
movies
in
multiple
languages
simultaneously,"
said
Asjad
Nazir,
'Eastern
Eye'
entertainment
editor
who
compiled
the
list.
The
star
is
now
focused
on
forthcoming
films
Radhe
Shyam,
Adipurush,
Salaar
and
Spirit.
Prabhas'
Radhe
Shyam,
which
also
features
Pooja
Hegde,
is
set
to
release
in
India
on
January
14,
2022.
The
top
50
list
celebrating
South
Asian
stars
who
shone
the
brightest
in
2021
is
based
on
those
who
did
incredible
work,
made
a
positive
impact,
broke
boundaries,
shattered
glass
ceilings,
generated
fan
attention
or
were
just
inspiring
in
their
own
unique
way.
There
was
also
big
public
input
as
countless
posts
were
generated
by
social
media
users
nominating
their
favourite.
British
Pakistani
actor
and
musician
Riz
Ahmed
came
in
second
for
his
path-breaking
work
in
Hollywood,
which
included
becoming
the
first
Muslim
to
get
an
Oscar
nomination
for
Best
Actor
in
Sound
of
Metal,
speaking
up
against
Islamophobia
and
being
a
driving
force
for
fairer
representation.
Third-placed
Priyanka
Chopra
was
once
among
the
most
famous
Indian
women
on
the
planet
and
her
2021
work
included
The
White
Tiger
and
upcoming
Hollywood
tentpole
The
Matrix
Resurrections.
Indian-American
Mindy
Kaling
took
the
fourth
spot.
As
one
of
the
biggest
South
Asian
power
players
in
Hollywood,
Kaling
has
developed
multiple
projects
and
remains
a
strong
role
model
for
working
mothers,
the
newspaper
said.
The
highest
placed
singer
is
Shreya
Ghoshal
(fifth),
who
delivered
more
hit
songs
in
multiple
languages
than
anyone
else,
and
that
too
in
a
year
she
had
her
first
child,
it
added.
Pakistan-born
American
actor
Kumail
Nanjiani
is
in
sixth
place
for
playing
superhero
Kingo
in
Marvel
blockbuster
The
Eternals,
while
Pakistani
actor
Sajal
Aly
is
at
seventh,
followed
by
British-Indian
pop
superstar
Charli
XCX
(eighth),
British
actor
Dev
Patel
(ninth)
and
Shehnaaz
Gill
(10).
The
oldest
star
on
the
list
is
79-year-old
Amitabh
Bachchan
(No.
32)
and
the
youngest
is
18-year-old
actress
Sumbul
Touqeer
Khan
(No.
16),
for
her
title
role
in
hit
serial
Imlie.
Some
other
highlight
celebrities
in
the
2021
list
include
Diljit
Dosanjh
(11),
Lilly
Singh
(12),
Taapsee
Pannu
(14),
Vijay
(15),
Rubina
Dilaik
(17)
and
Akshay
Kumar
(18).