Guwahati: Written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, Manipuri film Boong (Little Boy) broke barriers and carried the voice of Manipur to the world stage at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.For Manipur, Boong’s triumph is more than a cinematic milestone. It is a message to the world that even amid conflict and displacement, the state’s voices of art and humanity continue to shine. As the new government under CM Khemchand seeks to rebuild trust and peace, the film’s victory as the Best Children’s & Family Film, has become a rallying point for resilience, forgiveness and hope.Lakshmipriya feature debut is an urban folktale told through the eyes of a boy.“The walk up till here felt like the last few steps to reach a summit of a mountain we never knew we were climbing in the first place,” Lakshmipriya said at the Royal Festival Hall in London.Lakshmipriya’s journey to this moment has been remarkable. A graduate in economics from Miranda House and a postgraduate in Mass Communication from MCRC, Jamia, she began her career in films as an assistant director. Over the years, she became part of the production teams of several acclaimed movies including Lakshya, Luck By Chance, Talaash, PK, A Suitable Boy and Dahaad.Delivering an emotional acceptance speech that resonated far beyond cinema, Lakshmipriya held the coveted trophy presented by Paddington Bear, the lead character of the West End show Paddington The Musical.She described Boong as a film “rooted in a place that is troubled, overlooked and underrepresented in India.” Her words were a heartfelt prayer, “We pray for peace to return to Manipur. We pray that all the internally displaced children, including the child actors in the film, regain their joy, their innocence and their dream once again. We pray that no conflict is ever formidable enough to destroy the one superpower that all of us have as human beings, that is forgiveness. So, thank you BAFTA for giving us not only an award but this stage to express our hope.”The weeks-old Manipur government under new chief minister Y Khemchand, which is seeking to mend fractured ethnic faultlines after three years of conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, hailed the achievement as “a victory not just for cinema, but for hope.”In its social media statement, the government described the film “a tribute to a homeland that remains resilient despite hardship.”The government applauded Devi’s speech, noting that her message was clear and moving, and underscored the state’s yearning for reconciliation.At the heart of the story is little Brojendra Singh, affectionately known as Boong, played by Gugun Kipgen, a child from the Kuki Zo community. He lives in a small village with his single mother Mandakini, portrayed by Bala Hijam, a Meitei actor.Both struggle with the absence of his father, Joykumar, who has gone out of town for work but has been mysteriously and frustratingly incommunicado for some time. Determined to find him as a surprise gift for his mother, Boong embarks on a journey to the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh with his best friend Raju, played by Angom Sanamatum, who appears as the son in a Marwari family.The government pointed out, “Beyond its cinematic excellence, Boong also reflects the spirit of collaboration among artistes from different communities in Manipur, underscoring how storytelling can foster understanding and shared cultural pride.”The government, celebrating Boong’s BAFTA triumph, highlighted the film’s artistic and cultural significance, underlined, “Boong tells the moving story of a schoolboy navigating racial tensions and border challenges in Manipur, driven by resilience and determination to reunite his divided family.”Lakshmipriya wrapped up shooting Boong just weeks before ethnic conflict broke out on May 3, 2023 at Moreh, which was the movie’s backdrop.Boong had its world premiere in the Discovery section at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2024. That same year, Lakshmipriya Devi won the Award for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking at the International South Asian Film Festival in Canada, and the film was honoured as Best Youth Film at the 17th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia, before making its way to BAFTA glory. In 2025, Gugun Kipgen, who plays Boong, received a Special Mention for Best Actor (Male) at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The movie was released in India in September last year.The film beat international competition from nominees including Lilo and Stitch, Arco and Zootropolis 2 at the star studded 2026 BAFTA Awards night.Bala Hijam, who played Boong’s mother, wrote on social media to express her gratitude to producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment “for believing in a story emerging from one of the smallest states in Northeast India, Manipur” and helping the film “resonate far beyond regional boundaries, allowing global audiences to witness and appreciate stories from Manipur.She thanked her director Lakhsmipriya for “trusting me and for allowing me to contribute to a story that represents not just entertainment, but history in the making,” and added that the “journey has been more than professional ,it has been deeply personal and profoundly meaningful.”
