Boong’s director Lakshmipriya Devi cried while editing the film. here’s why
Boong’s director Lakshmipriya Devi shared that she used to cry whenever she watched the footage, which is why post-production was delayed. He also talked about the film winning an award at BAFTA.
Manipuri film director Lakshmipriya Devi boonghas revealed that she was unable to begin editing the project for several months after filming ended. The delay occurred because she was crying repeatedly while watching the footage and was deeply affected by the realities captured in the film as well as the devastation in her home state of Manipur.
Boong recently became the first Indian film to win an award in the Best Children and Family Film category at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards.
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Emotional toll during post-production
talking to PTILakshmipriya recalled her struggle to view the material with neutrality and said, “I couldn’t edit the film for a very long time. I would cry whenever I watched the footage. Knowing that the entire second half of the film was shot in places that were now in debris… it affected me. It took me a few months to view the footage objectively from a distance.”
‘I was not allowed to get recognition’
Lakshmipriya admitted that she was still confused when considering the film’s international recognition. She said she now “wants to go more under the radar after this and not let it get to me.”
“With film festivals like BAFTA, at least the first step of awareness has been created, which is like giving people the idea that, ‘Hey, there’s a place called Manipur and these kind of films are outside of Bollywood indie’, but beyond that it’s up to the audience to take that knowledge forward and apply it,” the director expressed.
A story beyond politics
He also underlined that the film is not political. He said, “It’s not a political film. It’s a story of a boy who lives in a place where these kinds of things happen… If anyone thinks it’s political, that’s their point of view.”
The BAFTA-winning Manipuri film tells the story of Boong, a schoolboy searching for his absent father in conflict-hit Manipur and wants to surprise his mother. Set against racial tensions, the plot explores themes of love, discrimination and belonging as the boy embarks on an emotional journey.
Produced by Excel Entertainment and starring Gugun Kipgen and Bala Hijam, the film had a limited theatrical release in September 2024. Following its recognition at the BAFTAs, the film was re-released on 6 March.