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The wondrous journey of 'Boong', from Manipur to the BAFTAs and beyond

Scroll | March 7, 2026 5:41 PM CST

Lakshmipriya Devi’s Manipuri film Boong is about a young boy’s mission to locate his missing father. Accompanied by his best friend Raju, Boong travels from Imphal all the way to neighbouring Myanmar to find his father, an expedition that puts the boys in considerable peril. Persistence and pluck characterise the movie’s wondrous trajectory.

The 2024 production is back in the news after winning a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award in February in London. The honour – the first for an Indian title – has led to Boong being released in cinemas for a second time across the country, including in Manipur.

At the BAFTAs, Boong was entered in the Best Children’s & Family Film category – a brainwave that Devi attributes to one of the three producers, Excel Entertainment. “We decided to go for it – we had nothing to lose,” Devi told Scroll.

Boong had previously been submitted to the committee that picks India’s official entry for the International Film Oscar, but it lost out to Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound. Boong was released in cinemas in September. Where else could the film try its luck?

“Vishal Ramchandani, the CEO of Excel, said, why don’t you take a look at BAFTA?” Devi said. “I found out that there was a children’s category.”

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