Melbourne recently got a glimpse of Manipur through Boong, a delightful Manipuri film about a young boy of the same name. The film marks the directorial debut of Lakshmipriya Devi, who previously worked as an assistant director. She opens the film with the message, “To love, friendship and peace in Manipur”, setting the tone for a story rooted in her home state in Northeast India, bordering Myanmar. A closing message at the end serves as a perfect bookend, holding the narrative together.
Boong is a precocious ten-year-old brat growing up in Manipur, at that age when boys claim to hate girls. He knows what he wants and how to get it, including deliberately getting himself expelled, so that he could shift to an English medium school. Beneath his mischievous exterior, Boong is sensitive to his mother’s silent anguish over his father who has been away from a long time.
Boong also misses his father, noticing small reminders at home such as a Madonna fan club poster. Determined to find him as a gift for his mother, Boong decides to search for him. Accompanied by his close friend Raju (played by Angom Sanamatum), a Marwari shopkeeper’s son, they set out on an adventure which takes them to the India-Myanmar border. With Boong’s purposefulness and Raju’s self-proclaimed businessman acumen, the two cleverly negotiate situational challenges to reach their goal.
The story of Boong has also been written by Lakshmipriya, combining stories told by her grandmother along with present day Manipur. The story moves at a good pace well punctuated by light weight humour and moments, such as the appearance of JJ played by Jenny Khurai, whose stage performance was beautifully choreographed, blending Manipuri dancers and Madonna. Yes Madonna.
There are exquisitely crafted scenes that linger like frozen pictures, such as the moment when Boong returns to his mother. He moves from left to right to tell her about his father, while in the background, the wind bends the trees strongly in the opposite direction, from right to left.
Many such memorable scenes stay with the viewer long after the film ends. All the characters are well-defined and naturally inhabit the screenplay. Manipuri actress Bala Hijam delivers an excellent performance as Boong’s mother, Mandakini. Sharing the screen as the perfect foil to Boong’s character is his friend Raju, brilliantly portrayed by Angom Sanamatum.
It is no surprise that Gugun Kipgen, the twelve-year-old Kuki boy playing Boong, was awarded the IFFM 2025 Best Actor Male (Special Mention). The film was also the centrepiece of the festival.
Gugun carries the lead role with remarkable ease. It is not just his face that conveys emotion, but his entire body. With a myriad of expressions, he often does not need dialogue to communicate what he feels. Whether showing disdain, plotting mischief, expressing tenderness for his mother, quarrelling with his best friend, or thinking aloud with pursed lips, Gugun is a natural actor.
We met him in Melbourne at the film’s screening, where he demonstrated his pirouetting whiplash catapult move from the film. As director Lakshmipriya explained, it was developed using Manipuri martial arts. Gugun is unsure whether he will pursue acting in the future. For him, the best part of Boong was seeing all of Manipur, free of cost, with ‘Aunty’ Lakshmipriya. Interestingly, he was not given a script, yet during filming, he intuitively guessed many aspects of the story.
Prior to Melbourne, Boong has screened at other prestigious festivals, winning awards for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking, Best Debut Director of an Indian Feature Film, and Best Youth Film. The film is produced by Farhan Akhtar, Vikesh Bhutani, Alan MacAlex, Ritesh Sidhwani, and Shujaat Saudagar.
Jyoti Thapa Mani was the Design Editor in Delhi for The Economic Times, Business Today, and BusinessWorld. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, she is also the author of The Khukri Braves, published by Rupa. Jyoti now lives in Melbourne.
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🎬 #Manipuri #film #Boong by director Lakshmipriya Devi screened in Melbourne. 🏆 Child actor Gugun Kipgen won IFFM 2025 #BestActor (Special Mention). 📽️ Story explores childhood & family in #NortheastIndia. #TheIndianSun @IFFMelb
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— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) August 21, 2025
