Real Kashmir Football Club
| Real Kashmir Football Club | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sports drama |
| Based on | Real Kashmir FC (football club) |
| Showrunner | Mahesh Mathai |
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Production location | India |
| Cinematography | Saurabh Monga |
| Editor | Parikshhit Jha |
| Production companies | Jaya Entertainment Oshun Entertainment |
| Original release | |
| Network | SonyLIV |
| Release | 9 December 2025 |
Real Kashmir Football Club is an Indian sports drama television series starring Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Manav Kaul in lead roles and is inspired by the real-life story of Real Kashmir FC, the first professional football club from Jammu and Kashmir.[1][2] The series is directed by Mahesh Mathai and Rajesh Mapuskar[3] and produced by Jaya Entertainment, Oshun Entertainment, Kapital Entertainment, and SK Global Entertainment.[4][5]
Premise
[edit | edit source]Inspired by a true story, follows two dreamers and twenty underdog players as they chase the possibility of creating a professional football team in Kashmir. What begins as a distant ambition tested by setbacks, small triumphs, and personal sacrifice slowly becomes a source of hope for them and for those who follow their rise. The show traces how one idea grows far beyond the team that started it.[6]
Cast
[edit | edit source]- Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub [1]
- Manav Kaul [6]
- Abhishant Rana [1]
- Shahid Mushtaq
- Shubhang Chaturvedi
- Mark Bennington
- Saud Al Rasdid Para
- Afnan Fazli
- Adil Pala
- Imran Farooq
- Khusshal Maggo
- Muazzam Bhat
- Shaheem Bhat
- Anmol Dhillon Thakeria
Production
[edit | edit source]The series was announced as part of SonyLIV's 2025 slate of original programming.[7] According to early reports, the show was developed to capture the inspirational real-life journey of Real Kashmir FC, formed amid challenging circumstances in the region.[6]
SonyLIV described the show as "a story of rookies, of strangers, of turmoil — but above all, a story of love: for the game, for Kashmir, for possibility."[1]
Release
[edit | edit source]The series will be streaming on SonyLIV starting December 9, 2025.[8][9]
Reception
[edit | edit source]In its review, Sana Farzeen of India Today described the series as a grounded and realistic portrayal of youth aspirations in Kashmir, noting that the series avoids exaggerated dramatization and focuses instead on the social and emotional challenges faced by the characters. The review praised the performances of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Manav Kaul, while also mentioning that the narrative occasionally follows familiar sports-drama patterns.[10] Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express gave 3 out of 5 stars and quoted "Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Manav Kaul series scores on heart"[11] Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India described the series as "The Sport of Good Storytelling"[12] Nida Mehraj of Deccan Chronicle gave 3 out of 5 stars and reviewed the series as "Real Kashmir FC Delivers Grit and Heart, Despite Its Rough Edges"[13] Shreyas Pande of The Hindu reviewed the series and described it as "A breezy soccer tale undermined by wayward writing"[14] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in reviewed the series as "Feel-good sports drama scores a goal for empathy"[15] Sriva A of moneycontrol described the series as "Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub and Manav Kaul score big and shine in inspiring Kashmir football story"[16] Shubhangi Shah of TheWeek reviewed the series and quoted "Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub shines in SonyLIV's gentle underdog saga"[17]
Episodes
[edit | edit source]The series consists of eight episodes streaming on SonyLIV.[18]
| No. | Title | Release date | Runtime | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kickoff | 08 December 2025 | 52 minutes | Disillusioned with journalism, Sohail decides to change Kashmir for the better by starting a professional football club. He tries to convince his childhood friend Mustafa to coach RKFC and approaches businessman Shirish for funding, who knows nothing about football. |
| 2 | Pressing | 08 December 2025 | 38 minutes | With financier Shirish and coach Mustafa on board and the squad selected, Sohail must complete formalities to ensure RKFC meets league compliance requirements. |
| 3 | In Possession | 08 December 2025 | 35 minutes | To qualify for a league tournament, RKFC must recruit local star Shah. The task is difficult because Shah has a confrontational past with Mustafa. |
| 4 | Transition To Defence | 08 December 2025 | 39 minutes | Shah joins the club and the team travels to Delhi for the qualifying tournament, where events on and off the field begin to go wrong. |
| 5 | Own-Goal | 08 December 2025 | 32 minutes | After the Delhi setback, tensions rise and some players consider leaving. Sohail must keep Mustafa, re-sign Shah, and manage Shirish, who now wants a greater role in club management. |
| 6 | Regroup | 08 December 2025 | 39 minutes | Sohail agrees with Shirish to bring in an international coach to improve RKFC's chances, but informing Mustafa of this decision causes a serious disagreement. |
| 7 | Counterattack | 08 December 2025 | 45 minutes | International coach Douglas arrives and sees the challenges of building a club in Srinagar. Sohail and Shirish slowly move the club closer to league qualification. |
| 8 | Goal! | 08 December 2025 | 40 minutes | Players learn that their qualification match would be against a security forces team at the local cantonment, sparking debate over whether to play. |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Real Kashmir Football Club at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).