Key Points
- Premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2024
- Won BAFTA Best Children’s and Family Film 2026
- First Indian film to win in that BAFTA category
Mumbai, March 9. Filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi, who is over the moon with the BAFTA win of her Manipuri film ‘Boong’, has spoken about the casting process of the film, and how she got Gugun Kipgen, the child artiste who plays the titular character, on board.
'Boong' is a coming-of-age drama. The film follows a young boy, Boong, who lives in Manipur with his mother after his father disappears. Believing that finding his missing father will restore his family’s happiness, the boy travels with his friend toward the border town of Moreh and even crosses into Myanmar during the search.
The story unfolds against the backdrop of social tensions in the region. The film premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival and screened at festivals including Warsaw and MAMI Mumbai. In 2026, it won the BAFTA Award for Best Children’s and Family Film, becoming the first Indian film to win in that category.
Lakshmipriya Devi spoke with IANS from her hometown, and shared that the entire casting process relied heavily on word of mouth considering the lack of structure in the Manipuri cinema.
The Word of Mouth Casting Journey
She told IANS, “The whole casting was word of mouth. We don't have a structured casting system in Manipur. So it used to be, like, ‘Do you know somebody who's, like. This type of a boy?’, this was literally the brief given to relatives, friends, whoever we met. Any kid we saw, even in the bazaar, we would be asking them to come and audition. So Gugun came to the audition like this. He was fearless. The moment I met him, he said, ‘Oh, I can't do this audition because I don't know the language’. And he looked so cheeky that I knew that I really wanted to give it a try with him”.
She further mentioned, “And I chatted with him, and he did that slingshot thing for me, separately, away from the crowd. And we just hung around, he and I could talk like friends. So I knew that I could communicate with this boy. It's very important that, I mean, somebody could have been even more perfect than him for the film but if I can't communicate, then what's the point of this?”.
Directed by Lakshmipriya Devi and produced by Excel Entertainment and independent partners, the film is currently in theatres.
Boong's Festival Success and BAFTA Win
Looking ahead: Devi's innovative casting approach may inspire more regional Indian filmmakers to tell authentic stories on global platforms.
–IANS
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