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.