Prime Minister Narendra Modi used social media to congratulate the Manipuri film Boong for winning the prestigious Best Children‘s & Family Film' title at the 79th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).
The post on PM Modi's official X (Previously known as Twitter) handle read, "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. (sic)"
On Monday, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also took to her X and penned a note for the film. She wrote, “I am very happy to know that the Manipuri film 'Boong' has scripted history at the 2026 BAFTA Awards. Against all odds, this film was crowned Best Children and Family Film, becoming the first-ever Indian production to win in this prestigious category. My heartiest congratulations to the entire cast and crew of 'Boong'! You’ve made the whole nation proud”.
The movie was in the running alongside some noteworthy international titles such as Arco, Lilo & Stitch and Zootropolis 2. Boong which features Gugun Kipgen, Bala Hijam, Angom Sanamatum, Vikram Kochhar, Nemetia Ngangbam, Jenny Khurai, and Hamom Sadananda in key roles, narrates the journey of a young boy on a quest to reunite his family amidst the social tensions in Manipur. The drama had its world premiere at the Discovery section of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2024.
The director underscored that the film is deeply rooted in his homeland, Manipur, a region he described as troubled, ignored and underrepresented in India. “A film that is not only rooted in a place which is very troubled, very much ignored and very unrepresented in India, my homeland, Manipur. It's a homage to my homeland. So I just want to use this opportunity to say that we pray for peace to return to Manipur,” Devi said.
She also expressed hope that internally displaced children, including the young actors who featured in the film, would regain their joy, innocence, and dreams.
“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. We pray that no conflict is ever formidable enough to destroy the one superpower,” she concluded.
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