Eastern Eye’s Annual 2015 South Asian Men and Women Of The Year Pretty Much Breaks The Internet
Entertainment Dec 24, 2015
Award-winning entertainment editor Asjad Nazir’s noted global list of South Asians continues to trend, seriously trend, on Twitter. So yeah, we think he totally broke the internet.
U.K. based newspaper Eastern Eye released their 2015 50 Sexiest Asian Men and 2015 50 Sexiest Asian Women lists much to the delight of over 10 million twitter voters who chimed in via the social media platform from all over the world during the 10-day voting period.
Nazir immediately knew he was on to something when he first created these lists 12 years ago. “[It] was initially created as a one-off to celebrate the sexiest Asian men and women in the world," he said. "We judged the initial list in-house. It proved to be hugely popular and we opened it up for voting and gradually it grew with each passing year until it became the definitive list of its kind."
And it certainly did garner a dedicated following and saying that it trended on Twitter is an understatement. In 2013 the list was trending in India for over a month. In 2014, over 12 million votes were cast during the four-week voting period. Tweets (and retweets) came in from fans, fan clubs and anyone who wanted to voice their favourite. This year, it trended in both India and Pakistan proving clearly that when it comes to voting for favourite celebrities, that passion extends beyond borders.
So who made the lists this year?
2015 50 Sexiest Asian Men
Last year’s winner Hrithik Roshan was dethroned by former One Direction member Zayn Malik who tops this year’s 50 Sexiest Asian Men list. Formerly in 9th position last year, Malik not only leaped to the top this year but he is now the youngest celebrity to hold this title. Nazir notes that Malik’s decision to fly solo did not hurt this boy band icon: “Leaving One Direction did no damage at all to Zayn. Whether it was his haircuts, love life, solo career or life after One Direction, he had the kind of mass interest globally never seen before for an Asian celebrity.” Others that placed in the top 10 included Indian television stars Barun Sobti (4), Vivian Dsena (5), Fawad Khan (6) as well as Bollywood’s elite Salman Khan (7), Shahid Kapoor (8) and Shah Rukh Khan (9). Ali Zafar was the highest-ranking Pakistani celebrity at number 3.
Zayn Malik
Photo Credit: www.thesun.co.uk
Barun Sobti
Photo Credit: www.teambarunarab.blogspot.com
Ali Zafar
Photo Credit: www.dawn.com
So does the men's list automatically illicit the retweets and tweets from female fans? Well Nazir notes a surprising twist, “What makes the men’s list unique is the large number of guys who vote. Most see those in the list as role models they aspire to be like. This results in relatable men in the list, which makes it even more popular.”
2015 50 Sexiest Asian Women
Three times is certainly a charm for Priyanka Chopra who has topped this list for the third year in a row. And Chopra was thrilled, “Now that's a title I'm happy to hold on to. I'm bringing sexy back! A big thank you to everyone who's voted for me. Thank you also to Eastern Eye for making me feel 'sexy'; well, at least for another year. A piece of advice to the ladies — it's all in the mind. Remember, sexy is as sexy does.” Nazir notes the global appeal that Chopra currently holds, “Priyanka Chopra is doing India proud on the global stage and winning loads of admirers,” Nazir elaborates. “This was illustrated by the largest-ever number of votes by non-Asians that she received from all over the world. She is clearly building bridges internationally through her art and will continue to do so in the coming years. And by excelling in TV, film and music, the multi-talented actress has shown just how far hard work can take you.”
Priyanka Chopra
Photo Credit: www.Indiatoday.indiatoday.in
The popularity of television stars is very evident in this list, taking up most of the top 10 spots including Sanaya Irani (2), Drashti Dhami (3), Nia Sharma (6) and Gauahar Khan (8). Bollywood also took hold with Deepika Padukone (4), Katrina Kaif (5), Kareena Kapoor Khan (7), Sonam Kapoor (9) and the highest placed Pakistani actress (and the latest Bollywood muse) Mahira Khan (10).
Mahira Khan
Photo Credit: www.easterneye.eu
The global power of television has proven true with this list and the votes that were cast. “There are 27 small-screen stars in the list this year, which once again shows television has become the most powerful and popular medium of all,” Nazir notes. “This shows that TV plays arguably the biggest part in the lives of people around the world. It also illustrates why so many movie producers are now signing TV actresses for big film projects and why movie stars are venturing into TV.”
Nia Sharma
Photo Credit: www.easterneye.eu
Those who quickly want to box this list as the "pin-up" category should think again. Nazir emphasizes that sure, there are some "pin-up" types on the lists but it should be noted that there has been a movement of sorts to recognize those with inner beauty. “What continues to make this list really special is the strong presence of ‘real women’ who the public can relate to.” Nazir adds. “Most fans look at the all-round qualities of those they are voting for and that is why more women than men vote annually.”
The full countdown of 2015’s 50 Sexiest Asian Women and 2015 South Asian Men is published in the UK’s most established and popular Asian newspaper, Eastern Eye, on December 11.
Hina P. Ansari
Author
Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...
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