Shah Rukh tops 2023 TIME100 reader poll, surpasses Lionel Messi, Harry-Meghan

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has topped Time magazine's poll for its annual TIME100 list, bagging more reader votes than football ace Lionel Messi, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

According to the American publication, the Pathaan star got over four per cent of the 1.2 million votes cast.

In the poll, the magazine readers vote for the individuals they believe deserve a spot on TIME's annual list of the most influential people.

Khan, 57, is currently riding high on the success of "Pathaan", which became a runaway blockbuster at the global box office after it released in January.

The movie, a mega comeback vehicle for the superstar after his absence from leading man roles for more than four years, has earned over Rs 1000 crore worldwide.

The second spot went to the Iranian women protesting for greater freedoms from the country's Islamic regime, garnering three per cent of the vote.

Iran has been hit by protests since the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Amini was detained in September by Iran's morality police, who said she didn't properly cover her hair with the mandatory Islamic headscarf hijab. She collapsed at a police station and died three days later.

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The Iranian women were also recognised in TIME's 2022 Heroes of the Year and also won last year's Person of the Year reader poll.

With 1.9 per cent vote share, Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Markle came third and fourth on the poll.

The Duke of Sussex made headlines in January after the release of his memoir "Spare", in which he wrote about intimate aspects of Britain's royal family.

Messi, who steered Argentina to World Cup glory in an epic final against France last year in Qatar, is at the fifth spot with 1.8 per cent of the vote. He won the World Cup at his record-equalling fifth attempt.

Other stars and noteworthy figures who featured on the poll included this year's best actress Oscar winner Yeoh, former tennis player Serena Williams, Zuckerberg and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

According to the outlet, its editors will reveal their choices for the 2023 TIME100 list on April 13.

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