GQ magazine’s list of ’50 most influential young Indians 2018′ has names from across fields like business, sports, entertainment and others. The list includes director Pa Ranjith, actors Parvathy, Nayanthara and journalist Sandhya Menon from the South.
Sandhya Menon
A journalist who spearheaded the second wave of the #MeToo movement in India, Menon has been instrumental in outing powerful ministers, stand-up comedians, actors, and influential men in media. Even as she tweeted out her experience of sexual harassment at the workplace, she also shared, and continues to share experiences of other women.
Menon is actively working to create awareness about the PoSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act, and with the help of policymakers, refine it further. She is also writing a book on mental health based on her struggles with borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder. Menon blogs at therestlessquill.wordpress.com
Pa Ranjith
Ranjith is the director of four critically-acclaimed films – Attakathi, Madras, Kabali and Kaala. He has effectively made use of mainstream media to bring Dalit lives in sharp focus, and also to question the social status quo.
He not only directs, but also supports other young and upcoming filmmakers. His Neelam Productions produced Mari Selvaraj’s Pariyerum Perumal – one of the best films of 2018. Ranjith is also working on an initiative called The Casteless Collective – a 19-member music band specialising in folk music and gaana, which traditionally critiques casteism.
He will make his Bollywood debut with a film on the life of tribal leader Birsa Munda next year.
Delighted to be part of the most influential young persons' list by #GQIndia in 2018! Gratitude to those who have supported me in this journey so far. #Makizhchi https://t.co/SOqUw5QoOo
— pa.ranjith (@beemji) December 7, 2018
Parvathy Thiruvothu
Be it Panimalar in Maryan, the bold, differently-abled RJ Sarah in Bangalore Days, the brave warrior in Take Off or the role of a compulsive traveller in Charlie, Parvathy has always played the strong-willed woman on screen with flourish. Her off screen persona isn’t any different either.
The actress has made it to GQ’s list for co-founding the Women in Cinema Collective and her uncompromising feminist position. She has been raising her voice and adding to several others in the Malayalam film industry which is undergoing a major upheaval ever since a woman actor was abducted and sexually assaulted in February 2017.
Nayanthara
Nayanthara now proudly wears the badge Lady Superstar after leaving the industry for personal reasons in 2011. After her comeback in Atlee’s Raja Rani in 2013, she has managed to deliver back-to-back hits without depending on her male co-stars.
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Her roles in Maya, Dora, Aramm, Imaikkaa Nodigal and Kolamaavu Kokila were critically acclaimed.
She also has nearly half a dozen films coming up – Airaa by KM Sarjun, Viswasam by Siva, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy by Surrender Reddy, Love Action Drama by Dhyan Sreenivasan, Kolaiyuthir Kaalam by Chakri Toleti, and a yet-to-be-titled film with Sivakarthikeyan directed by M Rajesh and Thalapathy 63 by Atlee.
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The GQ list also includes photographer Joseph Radhik from Hyderabad who has covered the weddings of Naga Chaitanya-Samantha and Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli, and Samyukta Nair of the Leela Group. Taapsee Pannu, Alia Bhatt, and Ayushmann Khurrana are the Bollywood names on the list.