Opinion Will global applause for Boong make a difference for indie movies?
The Lakshmipriya Devi-directed Manipuri film had a limited theatrical release in India notwithstanding film festival validation and critical appreciation. Perhaps its BAFTA win might make the audience engage with Boong and other acclaimed indie movies
The Paddington Bear presented the BAFTA to Boong. When Manipuri filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut feature Boong won the BAFTA for Best Children’s and Family Film, she thanked the jury for showing “such big love to a small film”. The moment established how a modest-budget film shot with a cast of mostly inexperienced young actors and a script that’s deeply rooted in local realities can resonate with a global audience with the sheer power of its storytelling.
With the BAFTA boost, Boong is now set for a theatrical re-run in select cities on March 6. Even though it had earlier travelled to many prestigious festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere in 2024, and received several accolades, Boong did not get the kind of attention it deserved from film-lovers when it first hit the big screen in September 2025. Even though it is backed by a prominent production house like Excel Entertainment, there was hardly any buzz around the film.
With hypermasculine tales on a grand scale holding sway at the box office, it was easy to ignore an indie-spirited movie like Boong that had to be watched with subtitles. Yet, in doing so, the audience missed one of the most heartwarming big-screen experiences of recent years. At the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in 2024, viewers in the packed auditorium responded with delight to the titular character’s adventure, as he goes in search of his father, determined to bring him back home to surprise his mother. The poignancy of the story was balanced by the film’s humour, and its warmth shone through in the depiction of Boong’s relationship with his mother and his loyal friend Raju.
This experience of community viewing aside, watching the work of storytellers like Lakshmipriya is also an opportunity to acquaint oneself with the authentic voices emerging in Indian cinema, especially from the Northeast. Filmmakers of this region have been regularly making compelling films that have a distinct texture, richness, and sense of place, as reflected in Dominic Sangma’s Rapture, Pradip Kurbah’s The Elysian Field, and Tribeny Rai’s Shape of Momo, among others. Yet, these films escape the attention — and thus, the appreciation — of a large section of the audience.
It’s true that unique voices and stories often find a way to stand out, like the indie gem Sorry, Baby, which has emerged as a strong awards season contender in the US even as several big movies compete for the top awards. The nudge it got from A24 studio, as well as Julia Roberts’ shoutout on the Golden Globes stage, has certainly helped. Closer home, similar support from friends within the industry saw the Marathi-language Sabar Bonda and the Bengali film Baksho Bandi enjoy a remarkable journey last year.
Boong might have beaten major international box-office successes like Zootopia 2 and Lilo & Stitch to win the BAFTA, but this week it will once again face the test of drawing viewers to theatres. The director-writer, who had earlier spoken of a “general ignorance in mainland India” about the Northeast, has expressed hope that people will take this opportunity to watch Boong in theatres. Now that the Manipuri-language movie has brought home international glory, perhaps theatre-goers will finally support and celebrate this homegrown story.
The writer is associate editor, The Indian Express. alaka.sahani@expressindia.com
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