'Real Kashmir Football Club' nominated for International Emmys

SonyLIV's "Real Kashmir Football Club" has been nominated for the 54th International Emmy Awards in the Drama Series category. The Hindi-language series, starring Manav Kaul and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, will compete against A Thousand Blows from the UK, Carême from France and Menem from Argentina. The nomination brings international attention to a story that began with a football club in Kashmir.

What the show is about

"Real Kashmir Football Club" follows a journalist, Sohail, and a businessman, Shishir, who join forces to establish a professional football team in Jammu and Kashmir. Their journey is based on the story of Real Kashmir FC, the first professional football club from the region to compete in India's top-tier I-League.

The series traces their efforts to recruit players, secure funding and keep the team running despite difficult circumstances. Football is central to the story, but the show also highlights young players who find new opportunities through the sport.

How Real Kashmir FC started

The real-life story began after devastating floods struck Kashmir in September 2014. Large parts of the Valley were submerged and thousands of families were displaced. Journalist Shamim Meraj, editor of The Kashmir Monitor, and businessman Sandeep Chattoo noticed young boys spending their time in areas badly affected by the floods. They decided to take a simple step and distributed 100 footballs among local youngsters. That initiative eventually led to the formation of a professional football club.

Building the team was challenging. Several players worked as mechanics, shopkeepers and labourers while also training as footballers. Securing the money needed to run the club was another major hurdle. At one point, Meraj mortgaged his wife's jewellery to help keep the project running.

The club was officially established in Srinagar in 2016 and soon became known as the "Sheeni Seh", or the Snow Leopards. Real Kashmir FC made history during the 2017–18 season by going unbeaten in the I-League 2nd Division and securing promotion to the top tier. The achievement made it the first club from Jammu and Kashmir to play in India's top-flight league.

The club built on that breakthrough by winning the IFA Shield in 2020 and 2022 and investing in its youth programme. Its Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 teams have helped develop young footballers from the region, with several players later earning opportunities with Indian Super League clubs and the national team.

Manav Kaul on the International Emmy nomination

Manav Kaul was surprised when he first learnt about the International Emmy nomination. He received a congratulatory message but initially did not know what it was about. "I just got a message and someone congratulating me, and I said, why are you congratulating me? He said, oh, because your series like is part of like the International Emmy Awards. My God, such a feeling," he told HT City in an interview.

Manav then contacted director Mahesh Mathai to share the news. Mathai initially thought the actor was joking, but Kaul asked him to check the official Emmy page. He added, "Listen, this is on official Emmy page. It's true. I then told him that I'm in Paris. Let's cheers and enjoy this news"

Describing the recognition as a "huge win-win for India," he said, "I feel it's a personal win, seeing that I always felt that this project did not get its due credit and it deserved much more viewership than what it got. And now I hope it reaches the masses."

The actor also has a personal connection to the story as someone from Kashmir. He further said, "Being a Kashmiri, this story means a lot to me. The story of "Real Kashmir Football Club" goes far beyond football; it's about the human spirit and the belief that change is possible even in the toughest circumstances. This is what hope looks like."