Tuesday, March 22 2005 12:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: Indian origin founder of 'Sunrise Radio', Avtar Lit yesterday (Mar 21, 2005) emerged as the richest Asian in a UK media rich list, in which controversial writer Salman Rushdie shares the 5th place with award-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley.

The list is dominated by people of Indian origin.

Lit, 55, started the radio as a pirate and his attempts at radio broadcasting were regularly shut down by the Department of Trade in the 1980s. Now part of a legitimate broadcasting empire that turns over 50 million Pounds a year, it is a far cry from the days when Government officials would interrupt broadcasts and confiscate Sunrise's equipment.

The top 10 Asian media rich list compiled from a British Asian rich list to be published today (Mar 22, 2005) includes figures from acting, writing and film industry.

Lord Alli, the co-founder of production company, Planet 24 and chairman of media rights group Chorion, owner of the Noddy and Miss Marple characters is second in the Asian media rich list. His fortune is valued at 32 million Pounds.

Indian-born Rushdie is 5th in the list with award-winning actor Kingsley, known for his portrayal of Gandhi. Both are worth an estimated 8 million Pounds.

Gurinder Chadha, director of 'Bend it Like Beckham', is at the 8th position with her wealth valued at 5 million Pounds. She shares place with fellow filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, NRI director of 'Elizabeth' and 'The Four Feathers'.

The list also includes husband and wife Jay Sood and Antonia Millen, who sold their magazine business for 16 million Pounds (3rd), Arun Bajaj, who founded Radio XL in Birmingham (7th) and Abhijit Banerjee, founder of financial information group Raw Communications (8th).