We were like, really?: Manav Kaul says Real Kashmir Football Clubs Emmy nomination felt like a prank

The actor said he and his team initially thought the news was a prank and only celebrated after confirming it.

The sports drama has been nominated in the Best Drama Series category at the upcoming International Emmy Awards. It will compete against A Thousand Blows, Frances Carme and Argentinas Menem.

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Speaking about his first reaction to the news, Kaul said he was surprised when someone informed the team about the nomination. He recalled how they initially struggled to believe it before checking the announcement themselves.

Disbelief, basically. The whole idea was that I, and everyone else, thought it was a prank. Someone just told us, Yes, this has happened, and we were like, Really? Until we did a lot of research and saw it for ourselves, we didnt know that it had actually happened to us. Once we found out, we started messaging everyone, sharing the news and congratulating each other, the actor told ANI.

I was in Paris at the time and was taking a flight back. At some point during the journey, I had to switch off my phone. When I landed back in India, I realised how big it had become and saw how many people were congratulating us. It was just so much fun, he added.

Real Kashmir Football Club is based on the true story of Real Kashmir FC, Jammu and Kashmirs first professional football club. The series follows the journey of the football club and the people associated with it.

Directed by Mahesh Mathai and Rajesh Mapuskar, the series is written by Simaab Hashmi, Umang Vyas, Dhruv Narang, Danish Renzu and Mathai. It is produced by Jaya Entertainment, Oshun Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment and SK Global Entertainment.

Apart from Kaul and Ayyub, the series also features Abhishant Rana in a pivotal role.

Real Kashmir Football Club premiered on SonyLIV on December 9, 2025. (ANI)