Vijay Sethupathi to Make History as First Indian Presenter at International Emmy Awards

Tamil actor Vijay Sethupathi will become the first Indian to present an award at the 54th International Emmy Awards. The ceremony will be held in Manhattan, New York, on Monday, November 23, 2026, and will honor the best international television programmes of 2025.

Nominations

India’s presence goes beyond Sethupathi’s role. SonyLIV’s drama series *Real Kashmir Football Club* has been nominated for Best Drama Series, while Netflix’s comedy special *Vir Das: Fool Volume* is up for Best Comedy Series. *Real Kashmir Football Club* is directed by Mahesh Mathai and Rajesh Mapuskar and stars Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Manav Kaul. *Fool Volume* is the latest Netflix special by comedian Vir Das. The United Kingdom leads with 14 nominations, followed by Brazil with nine. In the Best Drama category, *Real Kashmir Football Club* competes against the UK’s *A Thousand Blows*, France’s *Carême* and Argentina’s *Menem*. The comedy slot includes entries from Argentina, the UK and Spain alongside *Fool Volume*. Kavita Gupta, a board member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, helped secure Sethupathi’s spot and previously aided Vir Das in becoming the first host of the awards in 2024.

Context

The International Emmy Awards recognize TV programmes made outside the United States, giving Indian creators a global showcase. Sethupathi’s appointment follows recent moves to place Indian talent on world stages, such as his upcoming roles in Mani Ratnam’s *Inji Vellam* and Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s *Pocket Novel*.