Oscar nominations 2021: Pakistani-origin actor Riz Ahmed makes history

Pakistani-origin Riz Ahmed on Monday made history when he became the first Muslim to be nominated for  the 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.