Bafta Film Awards 2026 wrap – ‘Boong’ winning like Diwali in Manipur (video); the Tourette’s controversy – comment
Our Reels from the winners’ press room are all out on our Instagram account – one is exclusively (for us) below and we look back at almost a week of related news – both happy and very depressing…
IT WAS great seeing an Indian Bafta winner* – the last were in 2009 when ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ triumphed – winning seven awards no less in total and AR Rahman collected a Bafta for the Music, and Resul Pookutty was among the team that picked up the Bafta for Sound.
Lakshmipriya Devi as director of ‘Boong’ spoke eloquently and powerfully about children and conflict.
‘Boong’ is set in the Indian northeast state of Manipur – shortly after the production of the film there – ethnic conflict erupted in May 2023.
It’s about a boy from one community searching for his migrant worker father – he simply misses him and wants to see him – mischievously, he hatches a plan to go to the town/village of his reported last sighting. Let’s just say little goes to plan…
The children are exceptional and it’s a very heartwarming tale, starring Gugun Kipgen as the lead character, Boong and Angom Sanamatum as as his best friend, Raju.
At the winners’ press conference on the evening, we asked her what Devi’s win meant for the people of Manipur. Watch her answer below…
You can watch the video above or read the transcript here – Devi resoponded: “Literally the half of the film is shot in a place called Moreh, which is on the border with Myanmar.
“And that, that place is kind of doesn’t exist after the conflict that happened, which is in 2023.
“So they (actors) are actually waiting in the relief camp to watch the film so they can see their home once again.
“So and the fact that we, we even came to Bafta here was like a cause for a lot of joy. So if, when they wake up in the morning and find out that we won a Bafta, I’m telling you, it’s Diwali in the morning.”
The film screened at the London Indian Film Festival in July – see our wrap story below. Well done to LIFF director Cary Sawhney for bringing the film here to UK audiences.
Even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked up on the win – posting to X.
‘Boong’ is produced by Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar’s Excel Entertainment production outfit. He and co-partner producer Ritesh Sidhwani were at the awards ceremony along with another producer, Mumbai-based Alan McAlex. It’s not the first time Excel’s work has been recognised internationally – its episodic and ground-breaking series, ‘Made in Heaven‘ and cricket drama, ‘Inside Edge‘ were nominated for International Emmys and it has a slew of Bollywood features under its belt.
Sadly, a film we thought would win in the Short Film category, ‘Magid/Zafar’ was beaten by ‘This is Endometriosis!’
Watch our interview with ‘Magid/Zafar‘ filmmakers – Sufiyaan Salam and Luis Hindman – they are huge talents on the basis of this first short, which is backed by both the BFI and Film 4 – and expect to see more of them down the line. Co-writer Salam has a novel, ‘Wimmy Road Boyz’ – which comes out in late May this year and the pair talked to us about the future, beyond the Baftas.
Much of the South Asian Oscar (March 15) attention will now turn to documentary filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir. Her ‘The Perfect Neighbour’ was nominated for a Bafta too in the Documentary category but lost out to ‘Mr Nobody Against Putin’.
You can read more about Gandbhir’s Oscar nomination in our preview, published shortly after nominations were released (see link below).
COMMENT
Much of the media attention has been on the horrific use of the n-word uttered by Tourette’s sufferer John Davidson at the ceremony and how it wasn’t cut from the first broadcast on the BBC at 7pm on Sunday (February 22- there is a two-hour delay). He is the man whom the now-award-winning film, ‘I Swear’ is based on.
The arguments continue to rumble on and are a horrible reminder that the Baftas have long been a very white bastion – until more recently and thanks to the hard work and brilliance of many black filmmakers – both here and in the US.
The odd bits of brown have broken through – Dev Patel, memorably, won a Bafta film award as Best Actor in A Supporting Role in 2016 for his role in ‘Lion‘, based on Australia-raised Indian born adoptee, Saroo Brierly. Let’s not get into the star being shoehorned into this category… when this Garth Davis directed film had him front, centre and back.
But for ‘Boong’, we are near invisible – sure, Riz Ahmed and Alia Bhatt (half the public, thinking who? – She is big in Bollywood) presented awards – and after all it is Indian and not British Asian.
Today, the UK film industry title, Screen Daily, published a vox pop with different Bafta voters asking them about a host of things connected to the Baftas and the ceremony. (See link to article at the bottom).
Most feel the incident was NOT well handled by Bafta on the evening (host Alan Cummings’ if you’re offended was clumsy, though well intentioned and better than ignoring completely)- or the BBC for the error in leaving it in the 7pm broadcast. Fast editing can leave something to be desired – whether you’re a small or big media.
One comment to Screen Daily was really on point and worth highlighting.
“This incident also exposes a broader structural issue: a tension between leadership’s diversity rhetoric and the instincts of the wider membership. When those two aren’t aligned, fractures become public.”
It’s also worth saying that one of their respondents said seeing ‘Boong’ win was a big surprise, as it didn’t screen widely and appeared not to have too much of a campaign behind it – no bad thing but still a little baffling, to be frank – but do see it, it is a very worthy winner.
As a community, we are trailing a lot – it’s good that Devi and ‘Boong’ won – in India itself, the northeast and states, such as Manipur, don’t get the attention they deserve.
We need more films from the regions – and if it can help, some British Asian filmmakers break through into the mainstream, more collaborations between India and the UK and less directed at Bollywood and more at independent cinema with social concerns at the heart of them, will help. These will start to feature in these awards ceremony – since 2009 and ‘Slumdog Millionaire‘ – the record is patchy and that was investment the other way – a British production company going to India – it can work the other way…
We need scores of productions, not just a handful – the British Asian skill and talent pool is wide and deep and it’s not being reflected adequately.
Sailesh Ram
*’Boong’ is getting a much wider release in India on March 6 (Next Friday), announced earlier today…
All pictures courtesy of Bafta and ©GettyImages – cannot be used outside of permissions granted…
From the winners press room
Links
Bong review – LIFF 2025 – It’s a wrap – ‘Pyre’ wins audience award and ‘Boong’ warms hearts on Closing – asianculturevulture.com
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