Actors Ananya Pandey and Ishaan Khatter have been named in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025 in the entertainment and sports category. The list celebrates 30 talented young people from the Asia-Pacific region.
Ananya Pandey, 26, has acted in 11 films, starting with Student of the Year 2 in 2019. One of her latest films is CTRL, released in 2024. This year, she also became the first Indian brand ambassador for Chanel, a big step for the global fashion brand in South Asia. Ananya is also known for her strong online presence, with 26 million followers on Instagram.
Ishaan Khatter, 29, first gained attention for his role in Beyond the Clouds. He won several debut awards, including at the Filmfare and IIFA. He later acted in A Suitable Boy on Netflix and starred alongside Nicole Kidman in The Perfect Couple. Forbes said he is close to becoming an A-lister in both Bollywood and Hollywood.
Musical and Creative Talents Recognised
Anuv Jain, 29, is a popular singer and songwriter from Ludhiana. He is known for his soft, emotional songs using simple instruments like guitar and ukulele. His 2023 hit Husn has over 204 million views on YouTube. His earlier song Baarishein also became very popular. Jain has 16 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and his total streams have crossed 1.5 billion. In 2024, he toured in the UK, Australia, and South Asia, and also made a song for the UN Earth Day album.
Sulagna Chatterjee, 29, is a writer and filmmaker who tells queer stories on screen. She wrote Firsts, a mini-series with a queer lead, for Dice Media in 2020. She has also written for Netflix's Feels Like Ishq and Jio Studio's Code M. Her current project is Pehli Date, a crowdfunded film about two women on their first date.
Others featured on the Forbes list include Stray Kids, Cha Eun-woo, Go Min-si, Yerin Ha, BINI, chess grandmaster D Gukesh, and Paralympian Sheetal Devi.
(With PTI Inputs)
