India had a stellar presence at the 51st International Emmy Awards with 4 nominations and one honorary award for talent. The gala event saw the leading talent from the international television industry come face to face in New York after nominations were announced in September.
Renowned Indian television producer Ektaa R. Kapoor grabbed India’s first award of the night as she was specially recognised with the International Emmy Directorate Award. The co-managing director of film and television production house Balaji made history as the first Indian woman and filmmaker to receive the prestigious recognition. This is the second Directorate Award given to an Indian media figure with Zee TV Chairman Subhash Chandra first winning the award in 2011. Presenting Kapoor’s award was fellow Indian American author and academic Deepak Chopra who helped secure India’s achievements on the night. Also making an appearance, prolific fashion designer and style icon Waris Alhuwalia was another Indian link on the presenting panel for the night.
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The second big Indian win of the night went to Vir Das as he was awarded the International Emmy for Comedy for his Netflix stand-up special Vir Das: Landing. This was Das’ debut win and second nomination after being nominated in the same category for For India in 2021. The comedian’s win was tied with British sitcom Derry Girls which also took home the trophy for its incredibly talented teen cast.
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Closer to home, Australian Netflix drama series Heartbreak High saw the gang from Hartley High bag the International Emmy win for Kids: Live-Action, including our Parsi rani Ayesha Madon. The OTT revival of the ‘90s series of the same received critical acclaim across the globe for its avant-garde storytelling and incredibly diverse cast.
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Indian screen queen Shefali Shah was also in attendance after earning the nomination for Best Performance by an Actress for her fierce role in Delhi Crime Season 2. Her win was highly anticipated by audiences after the captivating Netflix show won the International Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series in 2020.
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Parallel to Shah was desi diamond Jim Sarbh who was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor for his role in Rocket Boys. While both Indian performance powerhouses didn’t win their respective recognitions, their nominations alone have put the country on cloud nine.
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With 56 nominations spanning across 20 countries the International Emmys put the very best of the small screen on a global pedestal. This year’s winners have added two more to India’s Emmy tally with the country’s television industry now holding a total of 4 awards.
This isn’t the first time this year that stars from the Indian media landscape have been celebrated on the global stage. Indian cinema roared at the 95th Academy Awards held in March with 2 wins in major categories. Naatu Naatu from Telugu blockbuster RRR received the Oscar for Best Original Song after the songs dance sequence won hearts worldwide. Stunning showstopper Deepika Padukone also graced the Oscars stage to present the Academy’s rendition of Naatu Naatu and vouched for the overdue recognition of her home country’s cinematic stature. Alongside the toe-tapping was the applause for Best Documentary winner The Elephant Whisperers with director Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga dedicating the award to their motherland.
With global lenses redirecting their focus onto Indian films the pressure is now on for producers to put on performances worthy of worldwide attention. Here’s hoping many more Indian creatives will be inspired to rise to the challenge.
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