Twelve Indian celebrities feature in Forbes Asia's 100 digital stars list

Here are the names from India that made it to the Forbes inaugural Asia's 100 digital stars list

Forbes on Tuesday released a list of Asia’s 100 digital stars list, which puts in spotlight Asia-Pacific’s most influential celebrities on social media. The list highlights celebrities with powerful social media presence. Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, and Hritik Roshan are among the Indian celebrities featuring in the list.

“Much of the region’s population is spending time isolated at home, where people are relying on their screens for communication and entertainment. We’ve given special focus to celebrities who, despite cancelled physical events and activities, managed to remain active and relevant, largely by using social media to interact with their fans, raise awareness and inspire optimism. Many also used their influence to help worthy causes, especially those with a Covid-19 focus,” said Forbes.

Indian celebrities in Forbes Asia’s 100 digital stars list:

Amitabh Bachchan

• Social media followers: 105 million
• Amitabh Bachchan helped raise $7 million for Covid-19 relief in May.

Akshay Kumar

• Social media followers: 131 million
• Donated $4 million to Covid-19 relief in India. Took part in the “I for India” fundraising concert on Facebook Live in May that raised $7 million for GiveIndia’s Covid-19 fund.

Alia Bhatt

• Social media followers: 74 million
• Started Coexist, an eco-and animal-focused website

Shahrukh Khan

• Social media followers: 106 million
• The World Economic Forum (WEF) honored him in 2018 for championing women’s and children’s rights.

Ranveer Singh

• Social media followers: 62 million
• Endorses everything from condoms to Swiss tourism.

Hrithik Roshan

• Social media followers: 33 million on Instagram
• Appeared in “I for India” concert in May to raise funds for Covid-19 workers; his Instagram post of the event drew over 2 million views

Neha Kakkar

• Social media followers: 49 million on Instagram
• Won the Listeners Choice Song of the Year at India’s Mirchi Music Awards 2020

Shahid Kapoor

• Social media followers: 67 million
• Earned nominations for Best Actor and won Entertainer of the Year at India’s Screen Awards 2020

Madhuri Dixit

• Hosted an online dance class in April to teach fans new moves during lockdown

Katrina Kaif

• Social media followers: 45 million on Instagram
• Kaif’s Instagram posts endorsing Reebok have scored over 15 million likes

Anushka Sharma

• Social media followers: 84 million
• Advocates for women’s and environmental causes

Shreya Ghoshal

• Took part in a virtual concert in September to support Indian musicians hit by the pandemic, with her Instagram post promoting the event drawing 95,000 likes.