Not SRK Or Amitabh Bachchan, Late Irrfan Khan Only Indian Actor Among 60 Best Actors Of 21st Century

The Independent has compiled a list of the 60 best actors of the 21st century, featuring talents from around the world. Only one Indian made it to this prestigious list, late Irrfan Khan.

Irrfan Khan named among best actors of 21st century.

Source : Instagram

The Independent has compiled a list of the 60 best actors of the 21st century, featuring talents from around the world, excluding TV shows and films released post-2000.

Irrfan Khan among 60 best actors of 21st century

Only one Indian actor made it to this prestigious list. Interestingly, it’s not the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, or Amitabh Bachchan, but late actor Irrfan Khan, who ranked at #41. Irrfan, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 53, spent over a decade struggling before breaking through with Asif Kapadia's 2001 film The Warrior.

The Independent praised Irrfan’s "stoic fortitude" in portraying a warrior from his home state of Rajasthan in this film.

About Irrfan Khan

Irrfan continued to earn acclaim for his performances in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s 2003 crime drama Haasil, Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2003 gangster film Maqbool, and Mira Nair’s 2006 romantic drama The Namesake.

His filmography also includes standout works like Life In A Metro, The Darjeeling Limited, Slumdog Millionaire, Paan Singh Tomar, Life of Pi, The Lunchbox, Qissa, Haider, Piku, Talvar, Hindi Medium, The Song of Scorpions, Qarib Qarib Singlle, Karwaan, and Angrezi Medium. The Independent described Irrfan’s eyes—hooded and deep brown—as central to his ability to convey emotion and craft poetry on screen.

Top 10 Actors in the list

Among other acclaimed actors, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 46, was ranked as the top actor of the 21st century. Female actors made a strong showing, with Emma Stone securing the #2 spot for her roles in Crazy, Stupid, Love, La La Land, The Favourite, and Poor Things.

Daniel Day-Lewis, who announced his retirement in 2016 (only to return more recently), ranked #3, while Denzel Washington, recently acclaimed for his role in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, came in at #4. The top 10 list also featured Nicole Kidman, Daniel Kaluuya, Song Kang Ho, Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell, and Florence Pugh.