Summary of this article
BAFTA-winning film Boong has become the first Manipuri movie to cross ₹1 crore at the Indian box office.
Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, the debut feature has gained both international recognition and domestic praise.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical release in India on March 6.
The BAFTA-winning Manipuri film Boong has created history at the Indian box office after crossing the Rs 1 crore mark in domestic earnings. According to a report by PTI, the film has become the first Manipuri-language feature to achieve this milestone during its theatrical run, signalling growing visibility for regional cinema from India’s northeast.
Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, Boong has drawn attention both for its international recognition and its commercial performance in India. The film has been backed by several production houses including Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, along with Chalkboard Entertainment and Suitable Pictures.
BAFTA win brought global attention to Boong
The film’s international recognition began earlier this year when it received the Best Children’s and Family Film award at the 2026 BAFTA ceremony held at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The honour placed the Manipuri film alongside major international productions nominated in the same category.
Among the films it competed with were Ugo Bienvenu’s French animated science fiction feature Arco, Dean Fleischer Camp’s hybrid live-action animated film Lilo & Stitch, and the animated comedy Zootropolis 2, also known in some regions as Zootopia 2, directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard.
The BAFTA win brought global attention to Boong, helping introduce the film to wider audiences and highlighting the growing presence of regional Indian storytelling on the world stage.
Festival journey and director’s career
Before its theatrical run in India, Boong travelled widely across the international festival circuit. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 and was later screened at the Warsaw International Film Festival and the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival the same year.
It was also showcased at the 55th International Film Festival of India and later selected as the Spotlight Film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in 2025.
The project marks the first feature-length directorial venture for Lakshmipriya Devi. Earlier in her career, she had worked as a first assistant director on films such as Luck by Chance and Talaash, both produced by Excel Entertainment. She had also served as an assistant director on PK, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, and on Mira Nair’s series A Suitable Boy.
Boong was released theatrically in India on March 6.
