SonyLIV’s Real Kashmir Football Club has been nominated at the 54th International Emmy Awards in the Drama Series category. The Hindi 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 come together with the idea of creating 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 play in India’s top-tier I-League.
The series follows their attempts to find players, secure funding, and keep the team going despite difficult circumstances. Football becomes an important part of the story, but the show also looks at young players who find opportunities through the sport.
How Real Kashmir FC started
The real story began after the devastating floods that hit Kashmir in September 2014. Large parts of the Valley were underwater, 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 do something simple. The two distributed 100 footballs among local youngsters. That small initiative eventually led to the creation of a professional football club.
Building the team was not easy. Several players had day jobs as mechanics, shopkeepers and labourers while also training for football. Finding money to run the club was another major challenge. At one point, Meraj mortgaged his wife’s jewellery to help keep the project going.
{{/usCountry}}Building the team was not easy. Several players had day jobs as mechanics, shopkeepers and labourers while also training for football. Finding money to run the club was another major challenge. At one point, Meraj mortgaged his wife’s jewellery to help keep the project going.
{{/usCountry}}The club was officially formed 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 remaining unbeaten in the I-League 2nd Division and earning promotion to the top tier. The achievement made them the first club from Jammu and Kashmir to play in India’s top-flight league.
The club continued to build on that breakthrough, winning the IFA Shield in 2020 and 2022 while also investing in its youth setup. Its Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 teams have helped develop young footballers from the region, with several players going on to opportunities with Indian Super League clubs and the national team.
Manav Kaul on the International Emmy nomination
Manav Kaul was not expecting the news when he first found out about the nomination. He received a congratulatory message but initially had no idea 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 called director Mahesh Mathai to share the news. Mathai initially thought the actor was joking, but Kaul told 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”
Calling the recognition 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.”
When are the International Emmy Awards?
The winners of the 54th International Emmy Awards will be announced at a ceremony in New York City on Monday, November 23, 2026.
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