TAMIL NADU, (India): Tamil star Vijay Sethupathi is set to make history in New York this month. He will present an award at the 54th International Emmy Awards.
The gala takes place in New York City. Winners will be announced on Monday (Nov 23). Sethupathi will be one of several presenters on the night.
The event has a festival leg too. All nominees will gather in New York from Nov 20 to 22 for the International Emmy World Television Festival. It includes a welcome cocktail, nominee panels and presentations.
India at the 2026 Emmys
Indian work is in the race this year too. The International Academy named 64 nominees across 16 categories from 22 countries. India is one of those 22.
Vir Das: Fool Volume is a nominee from India. It is a Netflix special. Real Kashmir Football Club, a Sony LIV show, is also on the list.
Indian entries have appeared at this event in earlier years too. Delhi Crime won best drama series in 2020. Sacred Games Season 1 was nominated in 2019.
Sethupathi’s latest film
The actor was last seen in Baththa. Balaji Tharaneetharan directed the film. It is a critically acclaimed story about the moral redemption of a gangster.
The director has called him a muse. He has compared the actor to Tom Hanks and not Tom Cruise. He meant that Sethupathi is warm and relatable rather than flashy.
Films lined up
Two big projects are next. He will appear in Mani Ratnam’s Inji Vellam, alongside Sai Pallavi. Sai Pallavi is also part of the Ramayana cast this season.
He will also be seen in Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Pocket Novel, with Raj B Shetty and Malavika Mohanan. Both films add to a busy slate.
The Maharaja effect
His 2024 action drama Maharaja has taken a new turn. The actor recently confirmed that the film is heading to Hollywood for an American remake. He also said a sequel is in development.
He had said earlier that he would act in the Hollywood remake for free. The comment drew wide attention online.
The film’s second life began in China. It grossed Rs 91.65 crore there in theatres and did well on streaming. That success drew interest from abroad.
A Hollywood agency has since acquired the remake rights. Few Tamil films have gone this route.
Past hosts and format
The ceremony usually has a well-known host. Vir Das led the 2024 gala. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos hosted the 2025 edition on Nov 24.
Presenters hand out awards across programme and performance categories. The Academy has not shared the full list of 2026 presenters in the report. More names will come out before the gala. - The Statesman/ANN
