Farhan Akhtar-backed movie ‘Boong’ marked a historical win by securing the BAFTA Award, the only one for an Indian film this year. The Manipuri-language debut feature film won the British Academy Film Award in the “Best Children and Family Film” category despite being the only Indian nominee at the BAFTAs this year.
The 79th edition of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards took place at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 22 February.
Celebrating the momentous win, debutant director Lakshmipriya Devi said, “'Boong' means a little boy, in my language, Manipuri. It's about a boy who wants to get his mother a very special gift. So he thinks that finding his father, who's been missing for quite a while, would be the best gift for his mother. So that's basically the story of the film."
Speaking with Deadline, producer Farhan Akhtar said, “Well, to start with, I mean, it's LP, and I have known each other for close to 20 years now. This is her first film as a director, so it's a very special moment in her life, and it's amazing that we're part of it.”
He added, “Also, it's a film that's set in a region of India where very few films that we get to watch… films coming out of there… So, it was nice to support that as well. And it's a very, very heartwarming and a very sweet story. So, it just felt right.”
Despite competition from Hollywood blockbusters Zootopia 2 and Lilo & Stitch, it still managed to claim the award. In her acceptance speech, Lakshmipriya Devi made an emotional plea for peace in Manipur after receiving the coveted trophy from Paddington Bear — the lead character starring in the West End show ‘Paddington The Musical’.
More about the Boong movie
Star cast: Gugun Kipgen, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Nemetia Ngangbam, Jenny Khurai and Hamom Sadananda.
Boong first premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section and was later screened at several global film events, including the Warsaw International Film Festival 2024, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, the International Film Festival of India, and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025. It hit the silver screen on 19 September 2025 in select cities and PVR INOX cinemas in India.
It was co-produced by Farhan Akhtar, Vikesh Bhutani, Alan McAlex, Ritesh Sidhwani and Shujaat Saudagar under the banners of Excel Entertainment and Chalkboard Entertainment.
