Comedian Vir Das won an International Emmy award for his Netflix show Vir Das: Landing on Monday. Das is the first Indian to win in the Comedy category. Das shared the award with the series Derry Girls Season 3.
Ekta Kapoor, the co-founder of Balaji Telefilms, won the Directorate Award, which is given to individuals or organisations for outstanding contributions to international television.
Apart from Das, Shefali Shah was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress for the Netflix series Delhi Crime Season 2. She lost to Karla Souza for her performance in the Prime Video web show La Caida (Dive). Jim Sarbh, the lead actor in the Sony LIV show Rocket Boys Season 2, too lost out on the Best Performance by an Actor award to Martin Freeman for The Responder.
In a press statement, Vir Das said: “This moment is truly surreal – an incredible honour that feels like a dream.” The International Emmy is “not just a milestone for me but for Indian comedy as a whole,” Das added.
The award is a boost for Netflix, which is making a push for partnerships with Indian creators. The streaming service was represented at the awards ceremony in New York City by Monika Shergill, Vice President Content, Netflix India.