American comedian Kumail Nanjiani has been named in Time’s 100 most influential people list, earning a place alongside Deepika Padukone, Virat Kohli, Nicole Kidman, Gal Gadot, Hugh Jackman, Millie Bobby Brown, Jimmy Kimmel, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and 90 other illustrious names. Kumail features in the Pioneers section of the list, which honours people who have broken new ground in their respective fields of work. In the accompanying note by writer Judd Apatow, Kumail has been hailed as “the new comedic voice that we need”: “Kumail is one of our most hilarious, unique stand-up comedians. But what is most exciting about him is that he is the new comedic voice that we need. His incredibly funny Saturday Night Live monologue made it impossible not to see the ridiculousness of intolerance. He reminds people how fundamental a misunderstanding it is that a community of almost 2 billion people is to be feared. We’re lucky to have Kumail. We need a thousand more.” About Kumail’s film The Big Sick, which is based on his and wife Emily Gordan’s real-life experience of illness and recovery, Apatow wrote: “When a project is completed, it’s easy to forget what a long shot it was at the outset. The market wasn’t exactly crying out for a movie about a woman in a coma starring a Pakistani immigrant who questions his faith. But when Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon wrote The Big Sick, working for years without any guarantee of success, they wrote a script so strong, it was undeniable. There are so many neglected stories in movies today. Kumail and Emily took theirs and made it heartfelt and funny, and at an enormous personal risk—because there’s nothing more humiliating than sharing the most important story in your life and having the movie be awful.” Published in Daily Times, April 22nd 2018.