An Emmy nomination that felt like a prank and a role that felt more like home: these were the emotions of actor Manav Kaul as he speaks to CE about Real Kashmir Football Club. Known for Kai Po Che, CityLights, Jolly LLB 2, Tumhari Sullu, and Ajeeb Daastaans, among the rest, Manav plays Shirish Kemmu in the SonyLIV sports drama. He was among those who suspected the 54th International Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series was a joke, until the disbelief gave way to celebration. Directed by Rajesh Mapuskar and Mahesh Mathai, the series, which also stars Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, tells the real story of a journalist and a businessman who start a first-of-its-kind football club in Kashmir to give young people a sense of purpose. In an exclusive interaction with CE, Manav recalls the moment when the news broke, why the script struck him from the first read, and how playing a man who believes in peace and second chances felt so close to his own beliefs.
Excerpts
How does it feel to get the nomination?
We were all surprised. We are all poor people, actually (laughs). When such news comes, we first make sure that someone is not making fun of us. We felt that someone had pranked us. In fact, my director, Mahesh sir, also called me and asked, ‘There is no spam, right?’ Then we started congratulating each other, and this is going on till now. We are still very happy and surprised. We all worked really hard. When I got the script, I thought, why hasn’t it been made before? It’s one of the phenomenal stories. It is about two communities coming together and making a football team, creating a buzz, creating peace. That’s what India is all about. It’s a great representation of the country, so it should happen. Now that it has happened, it’s a very good thing. It was fun.
Did you ever imagine that a story so deeply rooted in Kashmir and its football culture would get such huge recognition?
When I read the script, I felt that I was very lucky to be part of this project. I knew it had an extremely stunning quality, and the way Mahesh sir envisioned it, it’s a collective effort. Everyone came together and we had so much fun shooting it. While shooting, I remember telling the cast and crew that this is going to be very big. When it got released, somehow it didn’t reach the people I thought it should reach. But so, your effort doesn’t go in vain if you work with your heart. Now that the nominations have happened, more people are going to watch it.
What does this nomination mean to you personally?
It means that my instinct, which I always have faith in, was right. I instinctively felt that this was one of the phenomenal things I was doing. It’s one of my favourite shows.
You play Sishir, who is inspired by Sandeep Chattoo. How much research did you do into the real person before creating your vision for him?
I didn’t need a lot of research, because if the writing and the script are such that you see everything, then you don’t need research. I had everything in the script, and the character was not so complex. It’s also a fiction, so a lot of the things are fiction. We took our liberty.
Your character carries a complicated relationship with Kashmir, memory and belonging. How did you approach those quieter and internal aspects of the character?
It came from the script, the fun I had in doing it, and the freedom the director gave. Everything is part of our country. It’s not like an alien thing where I have to go to the moon and perform something. This is something we all know, the displacement. We all know the story. I am from Kashmir, and I know the story of Kashmir.
The series tells the story of Kashmir through football. What attracted you most to this project?
I also had no idea about the connection of football in Kashmir. It’s huge. People love football, and it’s the game through which people come together, play and have fun. I was very surprised and very happy to be part of a story that talks about normal life, normal human beings and the local Kashmiris who are playing football.
How different was playing Shishir from the roles you have played previously?
The role is very close to me. The ideology of Shishir is what I also feel in life. There are some roles that are ideologically very close to you. It talks about peace, about giving a second chance, and about how we are all together in this world and have to make peace and work together. I feel very close to those things, so I thought this was a role I would enjoy doing, because there are certain roles where you relate to them.