DILJIT DOSANJH rounded off the greatest ever year for a Punjabi celebrity by topping the Top 50 Asian Celebrities In The World list for 2024. The singer and actor dethroned last year’s winner Shah Rukh Khan, along with strong celebrity competition from around the world, in this year’s edition of the popular list, published annually by UK-based Eastern Eye newspaper.
The Punjabi superstar ranked ahead of international talents from global cinema, television, the music industry, arts, literature, and social media. His dream year included the biggest ever global live tour undertaken by an Indian, stunning acting success, cool collaborations, and path-breaking moments.
Eastern Eye entertainment editor Asjad Nazir, who puts together the list, explained why the 40-year-old phenomenon made such a big impact in 2024. “The singing superstar delivered the most successful world tour undertaken by any South Asian celebrity in history with his blockbuster Dil-Luminati show. His history-making performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon broke new ground for Indian music. He delivered hit songs, which included solo singles, top tracks for films and international collaborations. In between all the musical magic, the multi-talented star showed off his impressive acting ability in films and proudly promoted his Punjabi culture. Everybody was talking about him in what turned out to be a dream year.”
Diljit found success with next to no media interviews and remained humble throughout his game-changing year. He kept with that by not commenting on topping this year’s list. Sentiments he has expressed at the beginning of each concert, with "Panjabi aagaye hai” (the Punjabis have arrived), sum up his rise. He has also previously stated, “I was born in Punjab, it'll always be a part of me until I die. Someone said that I don't stay there anymore, but I take Punjab with me wherever I go.
The Top 50 list celebrating Asian stars who shone the brightest in 2024 is based on brilliant work, positive impact, breaking boundaries, shattering glass ceilings, fan attention, and being inspiring in some way. There was also a big public input, with readers and social media users nominating their favourites.
Half-Indian pop superstar Charli XCX came in second, narrowly missing out on the top spot, for an incredible year that included sold-out live performances, seven Grammy nominations, and her now iconic Brat album, which spawned a huge global movement.
Third-placed Allu Arjun smashed box office records with the year’s most successful Indian film Pushpa 2: The Rule and significantly changed the cinema landscape in his country. Fourth-placed Dev Patel confirmed himself as a Hollywood power player by remarkably writing, directing, producing, and starring in the hit movie Monkey Man, along with signing more major projects.
Fifth-placed Priyanka Chopra Jonas remained the most famous Indian celebrity in the world, as she balanced high-profile projects that ranged from movies to starting work on season two of the mega-budget series Citadel.
Sixth place Vijay starred in the year’s most successful Tamil movie and started a political party with the sole aim of making a positive difference.
Seventh-placed Arijit Singh had a stunning year that included overtaking international pop icon Taylor Swift as the most followed artist on Spotify.
Australian actress Geraldine Viswanathan, in eighth place, has established herself as arguably the number one actress of South Asian origin in Hollywood and signed major projects like the upcoming Marvel superhero movie Thunderbolts.
The highest-placed Pakistani is actress Hania Aamir (9), who delivered a strong performance in the globally successful drama serial Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, raised awareness about mental health, and signed more major projects.
British actress Simone Ashley, at number 10, continued making a global impact with projects that ranged from the hit serial Bridgerton to landing big movies.
The oldest star in the list is once again 82-year-old Amitabh Bachchan (26). The youngest is 17-year-old actress Nitanshi Goel (42), who played the lead role in India’s official Oscar entry Laapataa Ladies and said: “Being the youngest on this prestigious list is truly humbling. 2024 has been a transformative year for me, especially with the love and appreciation my character Phool and Laapataa Ladies has received. Phool’s story of resilience and self-discovery touched my heart, and it’s amazing to see how it resonated with audiences across the globe. I’m incredibly grateful for the love and hope to continue inspiring young dreamers like myself.”
The highest-placed Indian television star is Rupali Ganguly (16). The highest-placed comedian is in-demand star Romesh Ranganathan (19), and the only author to make the list is British writer Onjali Q. Rauf (49). The only artist in the list is Jasleen Kaur (40), who won the prestigious Turner Prize.
The only social media star in the list is Viraj Ghelani (44), who headlined the year’s biggest Gujarati movie Jhamkudi and did path-breaking stand-up comedy internationally in the language.
Creative talent from diverse fields and different languages crossing new frontiers with impactful work showed that 2024 was very much defined by breaking boundaries. “The exciting global South Asian talent from four different continents were shattering glass ceilings, breaking records, and constantly creating something new, from taking music, movies, and even comedy into new arenas, to creating movements that inspired others to follow. These rule-breakers are inspiring a new generation to do things differently and show that anything really is possible,” said Asjad Nazir.
Others in the 2024 list include Fahadh Faasil (12), Rajkummar Rao (15), Vijay Sethupathi (17), Shreya Ghoshal (18), Zayn Malik (21), Shazad Latif (24), Karan Aujla (29), Arooj Aftab (33), Kani Kusruti (35), Himesh Patel (38), Sumbul Touqeer (43), and Vir Das (45).
The full list is published in Eastern Eye newspaper on 13 December.
