&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "BAFTA awards 2026: Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi pays homage to ‘ignored, unrepresented’ Manipur in her winning speech: ‘Pray for peace'")
It was an emotional and proud moment for India, particularly for the state of Manipur, as the film Boong won Best Children’s and Family Film at the BAFTA Awards 2026 on Sunday night. Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi and backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, Boong was a Manipuri-language children's film that beat the likes of Arco and Hollywood blockbusters like Lilo & Stitch and Zootropolis 2 (Zootopia 2) to win the award. Boong made history as it became the first Indian film to win in the Best Children’s and Family Film category at the BAFTAs ever.
Boong’s historic win
As director Lakshmipriya Devi and producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani walked up on stage to receive the award, it was a big moment for Indian cinema. Mostly popular for Hindi films, Boong represented a state almost always overlooked – Manipur- at an international platform.
A visibly shocked and overwhelmed Devi took to the mic to say, “To 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.”
‘We pray for peace to return to Manipur’
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In her winning speech at the BAFTAs, Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi said the film and the win was a homage to her home state, Manipur, which is ‘ignored and unrepresented’ in India.
“Thank you to the jury members and BAFTA for giving our very small film such big love, a film that is rooted in a very troubled, very much ignored and very underrepresented in India, my homeland, Manipur. It's a homage to my homeland,” said Devi.
Also read: Alia Bhatt debuts on the BAFTA stage with ‘Namaskar’, wins over the Internet with her Hindi | Watch
“Just want to use this opportunity to say that 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.”
She concluded her deeply moving speech saying, “We pray that no conflict is ever formidable enough to destroy the one super power 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.”
Devii’s speech was met with applause from the audience, which also included the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine.
About Boong
Boong tells the story of a young schoolboy navigating racial tensions and the realities of life along the Manipur border. The coming-of-age saga is set against a backdrop of social and political strain that exists in the state and follows Boong’s emotional journey as he is driven by determination to reunite his divided family and bring back his estranged father home.
