Boong: BAFTA deletes director Lakshmipriya Devi's speech, reuploads after facing backlash

Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi

The Manipuri-language film Boong made history at the BAFTA Awards 2026. The film won the award for Best Children's and Family Film, becoming the first Indian movie ever to claim the honour in this category. In her acceptance speech, director Lakshmipriya Devi urged everyone to pray for peace in Manipur. However, her speech was pulled down by BAFTA from its official platforms, which irked netizens.

Boong director Lakshmipriya Devi's speech pulled down by BAFTA

Devi delivered the speech after her film Boong won the Best Children's and Family Film award on the international stage. The speech was originally broadcast on BBC during the awards ceremony and later shared on BAFTA's official X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts. Days after the ceremony, the acceptance speech appeared to have been removed from BAFTA's X and Instagram pages.

A social media user on X raised the issue in a post that read, "Hello @BAFTA, why was Lakshmi Priya's winning speech for the film Boong quietly removed from your official social media platforms today? This is deeply disappointing." Filmmaker Onir also questioned the organisation, writing, "Why is @BAFTA silent? Is such a heartfelt, simple but powerful speech so unsettling? Who does it threaten?" Hours after netizens took cognisance of it, the video reappeared on BAFTA's YouTube channel.

About Lakshmipriya Devi's acceptance speech

In her acceptance speech, Lakshmipriya Devi had said, "The walk up till here felt like the last few steps to reach the summit of a mountain we never knew we were climbing in the first place. I 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 dreams once again."

After earning global acclaim and bringing home a landmark BAFTA honour for India, Boong now gears up for its big-screen journey, arriving in cinemas again on March 6. Boong secured the prestigious win while competing against major international titles such as Zootopia 2, Lilo & Stitch, and Arco, marking a defining moment for Indian cinema on the global stage.