Shah Rukh Khan tops TIME magazine’s annual readers’ poll, scores more votes than Prince Harry-Meghan Markle and Lionel Messi

Shah Rukh Khan received 4 percent of the 1.2 million votes cast by readers in the 2023 TIME100 poll.

New Delhi | April 7, 2023 09:36 AM IST

2 min read

Shah Rukh Khan spoke on a video call to his fan who is battling cancer. (Photo: Shaleena Nathani/Instagram)

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Actor Shah Rukh Khan has topped the 2023 TIME100 poll, decided by readers who voted for the individuals/groups that they think are deserving of a spot on the magazine’s annual list of the most influential people. As per the publication, 1.2 million votes were cast, and 4% of them went to Shah Rukh. In second place are the Iranian women who are protesting for their rights. They garnered 3% of the votes. The women also won the magazine’s 2022 Person of the Year reader poll. In third place, with 2% of the votes, were the healthcare workers who’ve been at the frontlines of the pandemic since 2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took the fourth spot, with each of them getting 1.9% of the votes. Harry made headlines around the world earlier this year after he released his memoir Spare, and opened up about his experiences as a member of the British royal family. Meghan hosts a podcast titled Archetypes. Footballer Lionel Messi took the fifth spot on the list with 1.8% of the votes.

TIME’s annual list of the most influential people for 2023 will be released later this month. In 2022, Gautam Adani, Karuna Nundy, Khurram Parvez were the only Indians who featured on the list.

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Shah Rukh Khan might score a spot on the list this year. His latest release, Pathaan, has been a massive hit globally, earning over Rs 1000 crore across the world. Shah Rukh had been on a hiatus from starring roles for more than four years before returning with Pathaan. This year, Shah Rukh will be seen in two other films – Atlee’s Jawan and Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki.

Jawan also stars Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi, and is set to be released in June 2023. Dunki stars Taapsee Pannu alongside Shah Rukh, and will be released in December. Apart from these two films, Shah Rukh will feature in an extended cameo in Salman Khan’s Tiger 3. He will also be seen in YRF’s Tiger vs Pathaan, which will be directed by Siddharth Anand.

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