Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan won the 2023 TIME100 poll, in which readers voted for the individuals they felt most deserved a spot on Time’s Annual List of the most influential people.
Stars and noteworthy figures also featured on the poll included actor Michelle Yeoh, athlete Serena Williams’s, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. But it was Khan that ultimately took the win, earning 4% of the vote after more than 1.2 million votes were cast.
Khan, arguably India’s most famous actor and an international icon in his own right, is also a producer and co-owner of the Knight Riders Group women’s cricket team. The actor made his mark as Bollywood’s favorite romantic hero, starring in blockbusters like Dilwale Dulhania le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. His decades-long career has seen him star in mote than 100 films and his most recent film is Pathaan. Released in January, it’s one of the top grossing films of the year so far, collecting nearly $130 million worldwide.
Second place went to the Iranian women protesting for greater freedoms from the country’s Islamic regime, garnering 3% of the vote. Third and fourth place went to Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, each of whom earned about 1.9% of the vote. Fifth place went to soccer star Lionel Messi, with 1.8% of the vote. The Argentinian player won his first World Cup title in 2022.
TIME’s editors will reveal their choices for the 2023 TIME100 list on April 13.
