Hours after WION reported that Boong filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi’s winning speech was removed from BAFTA’s social media pages, the video has reappeared on BAFTA’s YouTube channel.&nbsp;&nbsp;On Friday, we had reported that BAFTA had removed &nbsp;Devi’s speech from social media handles, including Instagram, X and YouTube. The video of her speech was only visible on BAFTA’s Facebook page.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether the deletion was done on purpose or was a result of a technical glitch is not known.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/has-bafta-removed-boong-director-lakshmipriya-devi-s-winning-speech-from-social-media-1772182121274">Has BAFTA removed Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi’s winning speech from social media?</a>&nbsp;However, the video has been re-uploaded on BAFTA’s YouTube page.&nbsp;The video was uploaded on Friday night on its YouTube channel after it mysteriously disappeared the previous days.&nbsp;

Video re-uploaded on YouTube

Many took to the comment section, questioning BAFTA’s move. “Why was the same video deleted?” questioned one user while another wrote, “BAFTA, why do you delete and re-upload this video?” While the video has reappeared on YouTube, it remains missing from BAFTA's X and Instagram pages. Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/alia-bhatt-reacts-to-bafta-interview-criticism-i-was-going-back-in-1772246902820">Alia Bhatt reacts to BAFTA interview criticism: 'I was going back in...'</a><h2>Lakshmipriya Devi’s speech goes missing on Instagram and X</h2> Lakshmipriya Devi, along with producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, accepted the Best Children’s and Family film BAFTA on Sunday at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony. In her winning speech, she stated that the film is a homage to her homeland, the ‘troubled’ state of Manipur, which is often ‘ignored, misrepresented’.While Devi’s speech was aired on the BBC during the broadcast of the awards and even shared on BAFTA’s X and Instagram pages on Sunday, the video mysteriously disappeared later.<h3><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bafta-winning-film-boong-set-to-release-in-theatres-on-this-date-1772199366641">BAFTA winning film Boong set to release in theatres on THIS date</a></h3><h2>Boong's re-release in theatres</h2>Manipuri film Boong is backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's Excel Entertainment. The film had a limited theatrical release in September 2025 and will be re-released in theatres on March 6 after its historic win at BAFTAs.

What's happening at BAFTAs? Hours after WION reported that Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi's winning speech was deleted from BAFTA's social media pages, the video has been re-uploaded on YouTube. 

Hours after WION reported that Boong filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi’s winning speech was removed from BAFTA’s social media pages, the video has reappeared on BAFTA’s YouTube channel. On Friday, we had reported that BAFTA had removed Devi’s speech from social media handles, including Instagram, X and YouTube. The video of her speech was only visible on BAFTA’s Facebook page. Whether the deletion was done on purpose or was a result of a technical glitch is not known. Also read: Has BAFTA removed Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi’s winning speech from social media? However, the video has been re-uploaded on BAFTA’s YouTube page. The video was uploaded on Friday night on its YouTube channel after it mysteriously disappeared the previous days.

What's happening at BAFTAs? Hours after WION reported that Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi's winning speech was deleted from BAFTA's social media pages, the video has been re-uploaded on YouTube.&nbsp;

Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi’s BAFTA acceptance speech re-uploaded on YouTube after disappearing from social media

Days after filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi brought laurels for India as her film Boong won the Best Children’s and Family Film award at the BAFTA Film Awards, her historic winning speech has mysteriously disappeared from the BAFTA's social media handles.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lakshmipriya Devi, along with producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, accepted the award and stated that the film is a homage to her homeland, the ‘troubled’ state of Manipur, which is often ‘ignored, misrepresented’.&nbsp;While Devi’s speech was aired on BBC during the broadcast on the awards and even shared on BAFTA’s X and Instagram page on Sunday, the video mysteriously no longer exists on the page.&nbsp;

<h2>BAFTA removes Lakshmipriya Devi’s speech on Manipur</h2>On Thursday, several X users tagged BAFTA and questioned the move. The speech, which was widely shared in India soon after it was posted on Monday morning, appears missing from all BAFTA handles on the internet.Manipuri activist Binalakshmi Nepram took to X to question the move and wrote, “Dear @BAFTA did you remove the acceptance speech of an Indigenous Woman Director of award winning film from Manipur, BOONG, from your social media accounts @X &amp; Instagram? If yes, erasure of the acceptance speech of Director is tantamount to cultural erasure of Indigenous Peoples &amp; women’s voices &amp; must be reinstated immediately. Inclusion and not erasure of our voices and our stories is the way forward.”&nbsp;Many others, too, questioned the move and speculated if BAFTA had acted on instructions given to them.&nbsp;When WION tried to click on the video, the page appeared blank.

BAFTA removes Boong director's speech

&nbsp;While the video seems missing from BAFTA's Instagram and X pages, it is still there in BAFTA's Facebook page.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/beyond-the-borders-of-bollywood-why-boong-s-bafta-win-is-india-s-true-cinematic-watershed-1771852310231">Beyond the borders of Bollywood: Why Boong’s BAFTA win is India’s true cinematic watershed</a><h2>What Lakshmipriya Devi said in her winning speech</h2>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.&nbsp;“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.&nbsp;“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 dreams once again.”&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bafta-awards-2026-boong-director-lakshmipriya-devi-pays-homage-to-ignored-unrepresented-manipur-in-her-winning-speech-pray-for-peace-1771811798786">BAFTA awards 2026: Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi pays homage to ‘ignored, unrepresented’ Manipur in her winning speech</a>&nbsp;Boong’s historic win was celebrated by one and all in India as it was the first Indian film to win a BAFTA award, which is often considered the British Oscars.&nbsp;PM Modi took to X to congratulate the film and the makers and wrote, “Congratulations to all those associated with this film. This is indeed a moment of immense joy, especially for Manipur. It also highlights the immense creative talent in our nation.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congratulations to all those associated with this film. This is indeed a moment of immense joy, especially for Manipur. It also highlights the immense creative talent in our nation. <a href="https://t.co/fd95WriuTG">https://t.co/fd95WriuTG</a>&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/2025889330032718323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<h2>BAFTA controversy</h2>BAFTA Film Awards 2026 have been in the news not for its winners but for the controversies it has been courting. BAFTA and BBC have had to issue apologies after a racial slur was used while Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to present an award. During the BAFTA film awards, John Davidson, the subject of the movie I Swear, could be heard shouting various expletives throughout the ceremony due to his Tourette’s. He shouted the N-word when Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to present an award. Davidson subsequently left the auditorium.&nbsp;Since then, BAFTA has been trying to take corrective measures and has issued an apology for the incident.&nbsp;There has been no word from BAFTA over the deletion of Lakshmipriya Devi’s speech so far. Whether the removal has been deliberate or a result of a techincal glitch is not known.&nbsp;

Boong director Laskhmipriya Devi had spoken about her home state Manipur and how it has been ignored and misrepresented for years during her winning speech at the BAFTA awards. The speech has been removed from BAFTA's social media pages. 

Days after filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi brought laurels for India as her film Boong won the Best Children’s and Family Film award at the BAFTA Film Awards, her historic winning speech has mysteriously disappeared from the BAFTA's social media handles. Lakshmipriya Devi, along with producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, accepted the award and stated that the film is a homage to her homeland, the ‘troubled’ state of Manipur, which is often ‘ignored, misrepresented’. While Devi’s speech was aired on BBC during the broadcast on the awards and even shared on BAFTA’s X and Instagram page on Sunday, the video mysteriously no longer exists on the page.

Boong director Laskhmipriya Devi had spoken about her home state Manipur and how it has been ignored and misrepresented for years during her winning speech at the BAFTA awards. The speech has been removed from BAFTA's social media pages.&nbsp;

Has BAFTA removed Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi’s winning speech from social media?

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Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi’s BAFTA acceptance speech re-uploaded on YouTube after disappearing from social media

Has BAFTA removed Boong director’s winning speech from social media?