51st International Emmy Awards: Vir Das creates history with best comedy award; Ekta Kapoor wins too; Shefali Shah misses out

51st International Emmy Awards: It was a double delight for India at the International Emmy Awards for 2023 in New York on Monday (November 20) as its renowned comedian Vir Das won the International Emmy for Comedy while acclaimed producer Ekta Kapoor was honoured with the International Emmy Directorate Award. It could have been three for India, but Shefali Shah missed out on the best actress award.

For India IN For Indian Comedy. Every breath, every word. Thank you to the @iemmys for this incredible honour. pic.twitter.com/Jb1744aZiy

— Vir Das (@thevirdas) November 21, 2023

Vir Das creates history

Das did the country proud as he became the first comedian from the country to win the International Emmy Awards for his Netflix stand-up special 'Vir Das: Landing' in the best comedy category. The Indian, however, had to shared the trophy with popular British teen sitcom 'Derry Girls' Season 3.

We have a Tie! The International Emmy for Comedy goes to "Vir Das: Landing” produced by Weirdass Comedy / Rotten Science / Netflix#iemmyWIN pic.twitter.com/XxJnWObM1y

— International Emmy Awards (@iemmys) November 21, 2023

"Winning an Emmy for 'Vir Das: Landing' in the 'Comedy Category' is not just a milestone for me but for Indian comedy as a whole. It's heartening to see 'Vir Das: Landing' resonate globally, thanks to Netflix, Aakash Sharma and Reg Tigerman who made it special," Das said in a statement. Das is also the first Indian comedian to achieve the feat.

"My journey from crafting local stories to receiving a global accolade has been both challenging and rewarding, and Netflix has been instrumental in that growth. I'm excited about the continued exploration of diverse narratives, from Noida to the International Emmys - India gets you there," he added.

It was also the second time when Vir Das was nominated for Emmys.

His stand-up special 'Vir Das: For India' was also nominated for the prestigious award in the best comedy category in 2021.

Ekta Kapoor wins too

Emmys also awarded Kapoor with the Directorate Award for her ‘trailblazing career and impact on the Indian television landscape’.

She described her award-winning moment as 'shocking surprising, scary'.

I am overwhelmed 

A big thank you to all! https://t.co/7vVzi4lIaT

— Ektaa R Kapoor (@EktaaRKapoor) November 21, 2023

Shefali Shah misses out

Three Indians would have won the award hosted by US magaician Pen Jillette at the New York Hilton Midtown in NYC, but Shefali Shah missed out on the Emmy award for the best actress for her performance in Delhi Crime. The award went to Mexican actor Karla Souza for her role in Dive.