Young Indian artists, athletes shine in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list

A bunch of homegrown stars just landed global bragging rights. Forbes has dropped its annual 30 Under 30 Asia list, and four familiar Indian names are shining bright in the entertainment and sports category — Ananya Panday, Ishaan Khatter, Anuv Jain, and Sulagna Chatterjee.

The American business magazine’s prestigious list spotlights 30 trailblazers under 30 from across the Asia-Pacific who are shaking things up in their fields — from film to music to sports and beyond.

Leading the Indian charge, 26-year-old Ananya Panday is being celebrated not just for her growing filmography (11 movies and counting), but also for becoming the first Indian face of French luxury house Chanel. Her massive social media following — 26 million strong — certainly didn’t hurt either.

Ishaan Khatter, 29, is also riding high. From indie gems like Beyond the Clouds to global projects like A Suitable Boy and The Perfect Couple (alongside Nicole Kidman, no less), he’s made it clear he’s aiming for global stardom — and it seems he’s well on his way.

On the music front, singer-songwriter Anuv Jain is flying the flag for acoustic vibes and raw emotions. The Ludhiana-born artist is a streaming giant, with more than 1.5 billion streams and a massive 16 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His hits like Husn and Baarishein have earned hundreds of millions of views, and he even composed a track for the UN’s Earth Day album in 2024.

Then there’s Sulagna Chatterjee, a 29-year-old screenwriter putting queer stories front and center in Indian media. She’s penned heartfelt episodes for series like Feels Like Ishq and Code M, and is now wrapping up her long-awaited indie film Pehli Date, five years in the making — a crowdfunded story about the magic (and awkwardness) of a first date between two women.

Sharing the spotlight with them are international names like K-pop group Stray Kids, K-drama stars Cha Eun-woo and Go Min-si, Bridgerton season four lead Yerin Ha, Filipino girl group BINI, Indian chess prodigy D Gukesh, and Paralympian Sheetal Devi.