Indian Actors Jim Sarbh, Shefali Shah, and Stand-up Comedian Vir Das Nominated for International Emmy Awards
- Producer Ektaa R. Kapoor will be honored with an International Emmy Directorate Award which celebrates excellence in television entertainment across all fields.
Indian actors Jim Sarbh and Shefali Shah and comedian and actor Vir Das have been nominated for International Emmy Awards. Sarbh has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor for his role in the SonyLIV web series “Rocket Boys”; Shah is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress for her role in the second season of Netflix’s “Delhi Crime”; and Das has received a nomination for his Netflix comedy special “Vir Das: Landing.”
Sarbh, who plays the role of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, is often referred to as the “Father of the Indian Nuclear Program” in “Rocket Boys.” Expressing his gratitude and excitement on being nominated he told Indo-Asian News that he’s ”overwhelmed and excited” for the nomination. “It is an honor to be recognized among such talented individuals from across the world,” he said. “This nomination is a testament to the hard-working, dedicated, and extremely talented cast and crew, who brought the incredible story of Dr. Sarabhai and Dr. Bhabha to life.” He is competing with Gustavo Bassani from Argentina, Martin Freeman from the UK, and Jonas Karlsson from Sweden.
With an acting career spanning over two decades, Shah has established herself as a well-known name in the Indian film and OTT industry. Her performance as Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vartika Chaturvedi was loved and appreciated by both critics and fans alike. The series “took everything out of me, it consumed me, it drained me out and it emptied me out,” she told Outlook. “Honestly, the character of Vartika will never leave me and she is extremely personal to me.” The show was the first Indian television series that won an International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series in 2020 for season 1, which was written and directed by Richie Mehta. Others nominated in the best actress category are Connie Nielsen of Denmark; Billie Piper of the United Kingdom, and Karla Souza of Mexico.
In “Vir Das: Landing,” his fourth stand-up show which was filmed in New York, Das looks back at growing up in India and his move to America. He shares the category with Le Flambeau from France, El Encargado from Argentina, and Derry Girls Season 3 from the UK. Considered India’s biggest stand-up comedian, he has now crossed over to become a global comedy sensation. Variety included him in its 2022 “Top 10 Comic To Watch” list, saying he is “filling an international vacancy for an authentic Indian perspective.” He was the first comedian from India to have a stand-up special on Netflix, which since resulted in a multi-special deal with the platform for them to be the exclusive distributor of his stand-up. Since then, Das has written and produced four Netflix specials in five years.
This year, Balaji Telefilms co-founder Ektaa R. Kapoor will be honored with an International Emmy Directorate Award which celebrates excellence in television entertainment across all fields. The production house, which was started by Kapoor and her parents Jeetendra Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor in 1994, is the single largest television content producer in South Asia. The trio opened the filmmaking subsidiary Balaji Motion Pictures in 2001 which produces several high-profile Bollywood titles each year. “To date, the Balaji banner has produced over 17,000 hours of TV and 45 movies, as well as launching Alt Balaji as a streaming platform in India,” according to a Variety report.
The 51st International Emmy Awards Gala will be held in New York City on Nov. 20.