Gangubai Kathiawadi Actor Alia Bhatt has made it to TIME magazine's list of 100 Most Influential People of 2024. Actor Dev Patel and wrestling champion Sakshi Malik have made it to the list too. Other Indians who have been featured include Microsoft Satya Nadella, Jigar Shah, Professor of Astronomy and Professor of Physics at Yale University Priyamvada Natarajan and Indian-origin restaurateur Asma Khan.
Producer and writer Tom Harper, who directed Bhatt in Heart of Stone, described Alia as a ‘formidable talent’. “Alia’s superpower is her ability to mix movie-star magnetism with authenticity and sensitivity. As an actor she is luminous, and as a person she brings the grounded assurance and creativity that make a truly international star,” he said.
Actor Daniel Kaluuya wrote about Monkey Man director Dev Patel, “His humanity shines through every time he graces the screen, leaving you no choice but to root for him even when his character is doing something foul; his presence makes you understand where he’s coming from. With a career that always elevates, his latest performance in Monkey Man is my favourite. Giving us a fierce, soulful empathy, a channelled rage, shades of him we have yet to see—knowing he was so into martial arts during Skins, he’s brought it all together. Monkey Man is his moment, and an incredible directorial debut,” he wrote.
About wrestler Sakshi Malik, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nisha Pahuja wrote, “What began as a small, targeted protest to demand decisive government action in favour of the wrestlers ballooned instead into a yearlong battle unprecedented in Indian sport, drawing support from across the country and attention from across the world.”
Hollywood celebrities featured in the list include Taraji P Henson and America Ferrera, known for her most recent role in Barbie. Wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who recently died in prison, Yula Navalnaya was featured on the list too.
