Pakistani origin actor becomes first Muslim to win Emmy

Hollywood actor Riz Khan swept all the actors competing with him on the best actor category in a limited series or television movie on Sunday night by winning the Emmy for his brilliant performance in ‘The Night of’.

Riz Ahmed proudly embraced the title of becoming the first ever Muslim, British-Pakistani actor to have won the Emmy in the best actor award category. The actor came out as a winner after giving fierce completion to the most renowned actors of Hollywood, Riz Khan beat Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock: The Lying Detective, Robert De Niro from The Wizard of Lies, Ewan McGregor from Fargo, Geoffrey Rush from Genius and John Turturro from The Night Of.

In his acceptance speech, Riz thanked his co-star Turturro saying: “It’s been amazing getting to watch you up close, and I share this with you, brother,” reports New York Daily News.

Riz Ahmed also spoke on diversity in the Industry saying: “I think what we’re starting to see is more awareness around how beneficial it can be to tell a diverse range of stories and to tell them in a way that’s authentic,” Ahmed told reporters.

British-Pakistani actor also emphasized on “globalization” of stories and talent, saying, “TV is in particular a global medium. People are streaming shows or watching them all around the world, so hopefully we’re going to see a globalization of the stories we’re telling and a globalization of the talent pool.”