- Boong is the first Indian film to win at the prestigious British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)
- Just before the film hits theatres, the makers held a press conference
- During the conference, Lakshmipriya Devi reflected on the labels she has often been given
Boong has scripted history after becoming the first Indian film to win at the prestigious British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2026. Written and directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, the film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to have a remarkable run at international festivals.
Just before the film hits theatres, the makers held a press conference where Devi reflected on the labels she has often been given during her journey - such as being called a woman director or a Northeastern director.
"There have been too many boxes that I have been put into, from coming from the Northeast to being a woman. It becomes too many things. But I was never looking at myself like that," she said.
The filmmaker added that growing up in Manipur shaped her perspective on gender. "Particularly having come from Manipur, women are very strong, so you particularly feel very bad for men there," she said with a laugh.
For Devi, the real challenge of making Boong was not the circumstances of filming but confronting herself creatively. Having previously worked on the sets of large-scale productions like Dunki, Talaash, Rang De Basanti, and PK, the scale of this film felt very different.
"I had been on the sets of some really big films, so this was a really small film in comparison," she said.
Despite its modest scale, the film has struck a chord with audiences, especially younger viewers. Devi recalled how children reacted during screenings at international children's film festivals.
"I'm not planning anything," she said when asked about a sequel, laughing. "But everywhere, especially at children's film festivals in Europe where the age limit is seven and above, cute little kids were literally jumping on me. They were asking for Boong part two."
The story of Boong is also deeply personal for the director. Devi revealed that many experiences shown in the film come from her own life.
"I don't know how I did it. It just came out fluently. I have experienced a lot of these things personally. I have crossed the border just like how Boong did," she said.
She added that the film also reflects the discrimination she witnessed, as well as the strength of Manipur's gender-diverse community, whom she deeply admires for their role in empowering society.
"There was no one-liner. I wrote it like a diary," she said about the writing process.
Devi also noted that the recent visibility of films from the Northeast is partly due to changing times. According to her, the combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of social media has made it easier for such stories to travel globally.
The film stars child actor Gugun Kipgen, who was just nine years old when the film was shot. At the press conference, he admitted he was upset that he was not taken to the BAFTA ceremony but described the win as an incredible moment.
Kipgen shared that he had grown up watching the animated film Zootopia, and seeing Boong nominated alongside Zootopia 2 felt surreal.
Devi also revealed that the young actor nearly walked away from the project during filming. The children in the film had to train in Thang Ta, a traditional Manipuri martial art form, to perform certain scenes authentically. The training proved difficult for the young actor, and he almost decided to quit the film.
About Boong
Boong follows the journey of a young boy growing up in Manipur who sets out on an emotional journey across the border in search of his missing father. Through the child's eyes, the film explores themes of identity, displacement, discrimination, and resilience, while portraying the everyday realities of life in the region with warmth, humour, and honesty.
ALSO READ: BAFTA Takes Down Boong Director's Manipur Speech, Later Re-Uploads On YouTube
