Boong producers say Manipur clashes began ‘the moment we finished filming’, reveal what communities in Moreh told them

FOr producers Vikesh Bhutani and Shujaat Saudagar, the BAFTA win for their shoot Boong came as a surprisal and strengthened their belief that movie theater put up serve as a bridge to overcome hatred and foster global unity. The coming-of-age film, directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, won the award for Best Children's and Family Film at the 2026 BAFTA awards ceremony, held at the Royal Festival Hall in London."Winning is something which is the cherry on the cake. I personally was not expecting a win. But once we made the shortlist, there was always hope," Shujaat told PTI in an interview. Boong revolves around a young boy searching for his absent father, whom he wants to bring home to surprise his mother. It was the only Indian film nominated at the awards.Lakshmipriya, who wrote and directed the movie, accepted the trophy during the ceremony and was accompanied by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment. Vikesh and Shujaat have produced the project through their banner Chalkboard Entertainment.Vikesh said their decision to back the film was driven purely by its universal storytelling appeal and he was quite hopeful that it would resonate with people globally. "We did not make this film with any preconceived ideas about the state's politics... We did not think about where it was set," he said, referring to the prevailing situation in Manipur, which has been grappling with ethnic tensions and political unrest over the past year.Vikesh, who has also backed acclaimed films such as The Mehta Boys and Gulmohar, said he liked Lakshmipriya's vision for the project. "It was a universal relationship drama. We thought of taking it wherever we can. But whatever has happened becomes, like how we feel there's a hope after every crisis. A Manipuri film winning BAFTA is a hope which means cinema can overcome any hatred, it can become a stepping stone towards bringing people together. So, if it can contribute a little bit from that angle, that's something which we've achieved," Vikesh said.Shujaat, who helmed Farhan's 2016 movie Rock On 2, agreed with Vikesh and said the film's "global language and grammar" resonated with international audiences. "The film spoke universally, whether it's a troubled place in India or anywhere in the world. Also, the journey of this kid and the innocence that children bring in dealing with these kinds of issues was fascinating because we've never seen it from a child's point of view. We've never seen it from that lens."Vikesh and Shujaat also revealed that the team of Boong didn't face any issues while filming in Manipur. "Every state has its own set of conflicts. The clashes began the moment we finished filming and came back," Shujaat said."Filming was the smoothest part of the whole journey. When we were scouting, when we were there during recce, we had certain obstructions there, but not big enough for us not to do the film. When we were shooting in Moreh, which borders Burma and Manipur, the communities came together and said, 'We support you, do not worry, wherever you want to shoot, it's a border town, we will protect you'," Vikesh added.Both producers believe that Boong adds to the changing trend where indie cinema is gaining international recognition, and hopefully, things will also change in the home country. "Five years back, we were not even talking about this. It all began with All That Breathes. The gap is narrowing quickly but we've got miles to go. It is also great to see big production houses like Dharma backing 'Homebound' and Excel backing Boong," Shujaat said."As far as these films doing well in India, films like Boong require that kind of distribution network and support to be watched even on a national scale. Awards like this, BAFTA, Oscars, or Cannes or, Sundance, they give them impetus," he said. Boong had a limited release in 2025 and the makers are now planning for a theatrical re-release or a direct-to-OTT move following the BAFTA buzz.