Indian diaspora makes wave at International Emmy Awards 2023 in New York City

Ektaa R. Kapoor, Waris Ahluwalia attend the 51st International Emmy Awards at New York. Vir Das poses with his trophy. Image Credits: AFP/Instagram

In a historic moment for the Indian entertainment industry, comedian-actor Vir Das and director Ektaa Kapoor achieved a significant triumph at the 2023 International Emmy Awards, which took place in New York City on Monday.

Nominees from India, including actor and stand-up comedian Vir Das, alongside Jim Sarbh and Shefali Shah, were seen at the opening cocktail night of the 2023 Emmy Awards.

Vir Das scripted history in New York as he secured his first-ever International Emmy award. The actor-comedian, nominated for the second time in this category for his Netflix special "Vir Das: Landing," emerged victorious in the Comedy category.

Competing against strong contenders like Le Flambeau, El Encargado and Derry Girls Season 3, Vir Das jointly claimed the prize with Derry Girls - Season 3. In the aftermath of this significant achievement, Vir Das took to Instagram, sharing a photo alongside his newly won trophy. His caption expressed gratitude, stating, "For India. For Indian comedy. Every breath, every word. Thank you to the International Emmy Awards for this incredible honor."

Indian filmmaker Ekta Kapoor earned accolades by becoming the first Indian woman filmmaker to be honoured with the International Emmy Directorate Award at the 51^st International Film Awards.

She said in a statement after her win, "I'm delighted to receive the prestigious Emmys Directorate Award! It brings me immense joy and happiness to be honoured at a global scale, such as this. I've always wanted to tell stories because they give me a chance to be heard, seen and represented."

While Kapoor and Das won for their notable categories, Actor Jim Sarbh and Shefali Shah lost in their respective categories. Shefali Shah was up against Connie Nielsen for the Danish show Drommeren, Billie Piper for the British show 'I Hate Suzie Too,' and Karla Souza for the Mexican show La Caida.

Jim received a nomination for Best Actor for his role in Rocket Boys, where he portrayed the character of nuclear physicist Homi Bhabha, also known as the Father of India's nuclear program. He lost the award to Martin Freeman for The Responder.