iWorld
Twitter introduces Times Twitter Impact List: Shah Rukh Khan is most influential Bollywood actor
MUMBAI: For the first time, Twitter has come up with new matrix to judge the impact created on the social media platform based on engagement scores – and actor Shah Rukh Khan has emerged a clear winner.
Twitter in partnership with Times of India has compiled lists of rank well-known politicians, Bollywood actors, TV actors, musicians, sport stars, and media brands based on their new measuring unit.
“Over time, it becomes important to understand what impact these personalities have on their audience and what the true criterion on which their impact depends is. We thought it was important to put out the variety and the breadth of the creators and content producers on twitter who have the maximum impact on their lives,” said Twitter head of TV partnerships – India Viral Jani, adding that the list has been compiled based on absolutely organic reach and does not take into account any paid engagement.
Since its inception, Twitter has been a powerful platform and tool to gauge popular opinion, breaking news and bridging the gap between celebrities and popular personalities and their fans or start a social campaign. The number of followers any personality has always becomes the benchmark for their importance on the platform and their level of influence.
“We created a new index by measuring the engagement coming from an handle based on the number of replies, re-tweets and favourites the handle’s content gets and aggregating that into an impact score. It is the true extent of how much impact the person have on the platform, how viral their content gets, and their impact beyond twitter as several media organizations follow Twitter closely and report from information available on the platform, what is noticed in twitter travels to television, print and other digital platforms as well,” Jani added.
Going by the new Times Twitter Impact List that has been compiled for the year of 2015, Amitabh Bachchan is the Bollywood actor with the most number of followers but it is Shah Rukh Khan who rules the platform when it comes to engagement and impact, Actor Aamir Khan does not even feature in the top ten lists. Similarly the Quantico starrer Priyanka Chopra emerged as the Bollywood female actress with the most impact on her audience.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean that if one has a higher number of followers they also command the most amount of impact on their audience. The focus is on how they engage with their audience, how they keep them interactive to their profiles, etc,” Jani pointed out.
Among Television personalities, actor-comedian Kapil Sharma and actor-dancer Gauhar Khan steal the show.
When it comes to most influential politicians on Twitter, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tops the list, followed by Subramaniam Swamy and Arvind Kejriwal. The most impactful business leaders are Mahindra Group’s chairman and MD, Anand Mahindra followed by Colors TV CEO Raj Nayak.
In sports, Sachin Tendulkar is the undisputed king of engagements among men, while Sania Mirza tops the list among women.
Based on the growing importance given to measurability of one’s social media influence, Twitter’s new ‘Impact Index’ may become the new currency to quantify virality, which makes the measurement and the list far more powerful for brands to map their social media presence. Brand managers and advertisers are sure to keep an eye on the lists as well.
Asked if Twitter is considering partnering with brands to share their impact scores with them, Jani said, “The key differentiator for this list is that it is meant for our users and the consumer. We may consider it if we want to get into the brand space later, but for now the lists are strictly consumer facing.”
Twitter is considering to add few more categories of lists the the current few depending on the reception of this new initiative.
Lists:
Bollywood Male Actors
Bollywood Female Actors
Directors
Music Artists
Indian Politicians
Cricketers and Other Sports personalities
Business Leaders
TV Male and Female personalities
TV channels
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
