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KARACHI: Pakistani-origin Riz Ahmed has made history when he became the first Muslim to be nominated for the Oscar lead actor.
Despite years of #OscarsSoWhite criticism, Monday´s nominations saw multiple diversity landmarks set. Steven Yuen became the first Asian-American nominated as best actor for “Minari,” and will compete against Riz Ahmed, the first Pakistani-origin star nominated.
Riz who earned the nomination for his role in “Sound of Metal”, became the first Muslim and Pakistani nominated for the Oscar for lead actor.
Mahershala Ali had become the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar when he took home the trophy for the supporting actor. He had won the award for “Moonlight” in 2017 and won the same prize in 2019 for “Green Book.” Riz Ahmed also bagged a Golden Globe nomination for “Sound of Metal” earlier this year.
Ahmed previously broke barriers at the Emmys in 2017, when he won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series for The Night Of and became the first Muslim actor and first Asian actor to win in a lead acting category.
Mahershala Ali previously became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar, winning in the Best Supporting Actor category for Moonlight in 2017 and for Green Book in 2019.
