Riz Ahmed is the first Pakistani-origin star nominated for Oscar lead actor

Despite years of #OscarsSoWhite criticism, Monday´s nominations saw multiple diversity landmarks set.

Steven Yuen became the first Asian-American nominated as best actor for “Minari,” and will compete against Riz Ahmed,  the first Pakistani-origin star nominated.

Riz who earned the nomination for his role in “Sound of Metal”, became the first Muslim and Pakistani nominated for the Oscar for lead actor.

Mahershala Ali had become the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar when he took home the trophy for the supporting actor. He had won the award for “Moonlight” in 2017 and won the same prize in 2019 for “Green Book.”

Riz Ahmed also bagged a Golden Globe nomination for “Sound of Metal” earlier this year.