Vikesh Bhutani and Shujaat Saudagar on Boong’s BAFTA win: ‘A hope after every crisis’

Producers talk about Boong's BAFTA win

• Boong wins Best Children’s and Family Film at 2026 BAFTA Awards
• The Manipuri film tells a boy's search for his absent father
• Producers see the win as hope for Indian independent cinema

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For Vikesh Bhutani and Shujaat Saudagar, the BAFTA win for Boong still feels a little unreal.

When the coming-of-age film, directed by Lakshmipriya Devi, was announced as the winner of Best Children’s and Family Film at the 2026 BAFTA ceremony at London’s Royal Festival Hall, it was a proud and emotional moment — not just professionally, but personally.

"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 Saudagar said in an interview with PTI.

The film, which was the only Indian nomination in its category, tells the story of a young boy searching for his absent father so he can reunite him with his mother — a simple yet deeply moving narrative seen through a child’s eyes.

Lakshmipriya Devi walked up to receive the trophy, accompanied by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment, while Vikesh Bhutani and Shujaat Saudagar watched a labour of love find global recognition.

For Vikesh Bhutani, the decision to back Boong was instinctive. "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 Manipur, where the film is based. Instead, he connected with the emotional universality of the story. "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."

Shujaat Saudagar believes the film’s strength lies in its perspective. "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."

Filming in Manipur, they insist, was smoother than many might assume. "Every state has its own set of conflicts. The clashes began the moment we finished filming and came back," Shujaat Saudagar said. Vikesh Bhutani recalled the warmth they experienced: "Filming was the smoothest part of the whole journey... 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'."

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For both producers, Boong represents something larger than an award. It symbolises the growing global recognition of independent Indian cinema. "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 Saudagar noted.

With the BAFTA buzz, the team is now considering a wider re-release or a move to OTT platforms, hoping that the international applause will encourage more audiences at home to discover the film.