Riz Ahmed fourth among 101 most influential Asians in Britain

Pakistani-British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed has climbed up the list of 101 most influential Asians in Britain, falling on the fourth place, The Guardian reported on Friday.

Topping the list is London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has a Pakistani origin and has maintained the honour for a second consecutive time. Ahmed, however, is the highest non-politician on the list at fourth place.

"Riz Ahmed has been very outspoken and vociferous about issues of diversity, but it’s important to recognise that [the success of the people on the list] builds on the efforts of previous generations [of actors] like Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar," Shailesh Solanki, executive editor of the list, said.

Highlighting such people helps in breaking stereotypes that exist in the UK, Solanki said, adding that Asians are not just "shopkeepers and doctors".

In September, Riz bagged an Emmy for his performance in the HBO drama called The Night Of. The star also made it to TIME magazine's list for 100 most influential people in all aspects of culture. He was also featured on one of the covers of the magazine.

Riz has spoken up about being racially profiled in airports and, in March, warned that the lack of diversity on TV was alienating the younger generation from minority backgrounds, driving them towards extremism and into the arms of Isis.

The GG2 Power List is put out by the the Asian Media Group (AMG), Britain's biggest Asian publishing house since 1968.