Farhan Akhtar’s Manipuri coming-of-age comedy-drama “Boong” made history at the 79th BAFTA Awards in London, as the first Indian film to win for Best Children’s & Family Film.
Produced by Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment, the film stars Gugun Kipgen and Bala Hijam. It triumphed over global hits like “Zootopia 2”, “Lilo & Stitch” and “Arco”.
Accepting the trophy from Paddington Bear, the lead star of the West End show “Paddington The Musical”, debutant director Lakshmipriya Devi delivered a moving speech, calling for peace in her homeland of Manipur. She was joined on stage at the Royal Festival Hall by producers Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, along with assistant director Rahul Sharda.
“The walk up till here felt like the last few steps to reach a summit of a mountain we never knew we were climbing in the first place,” said Devi.
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“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 dream once again.”
“We pray that no conflict is ever formidable enough to destroy the one superpower that all of us have as human beings, that is forgiveness. So, thank you BAFTA for giving us not only an award but this stage to express our hope,” she said.
The star-studded 2026 British Academy Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, held at the Royal Festival Hall by the river Thames, included Bollywood star Alia Bhatt as a celebrity guest presenter for the Best Film not in the English Language trophy for Nordic drama “Sentimental Value”.
Leonardo Di Caprio-starrer “One Battle After Another” led the big wins for the night with six trophies. BAFTA president Prince William and wife Kate Middleton were among the chief guests, with the Prince of Wales presenting this year’s BAFTA Fellowship to Dame Donna Langley – Chairman of NBC Universal Entertainment.