Director Lakshmipriya Devi’s debut film Boong has made history as the first Indian movie to win a BAFTA Award. Actor Vikram Kochhar, the only Bollywood name in the Manipuri-language film, calls the moment “extremely elating” yet bittersweet.
“It’s a proud moment for all of us, especially with Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating the team – for the first-ever movie win. I’m happy my choice to back indie cinema paid off. But it’s also sad that we’re celebrating the film only after the West recognised it,” the 42-year-old says.
Released last year, the film struggled for screens in India. “My parents in Hyderabad and friends in Bengaluru went to watch the film but there were no-shows, as minimum tickets were not sold. However, in Delhi it had some houseful shows. It did very well at festivals and in the UK theatres, but back home went unnoticed. It’s a brutal reality. We watch global content like K-dramas, yet failed to support our own,” he says.
The actor reveals he signed the film while shooting Dunki (2023) where Lakshmipriya was assisting director Rajkumar Hirani. He shares, “Raju sir even offered me an ad with Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, but I turned it down as I had committed LP for Boong. I believed in the film, just never imagined it would win a BAFTA.”
The film, backed by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment, won Best Children’s and Family Film. It revolves around two boys who have single parents. Actor Bala Hijam plays mother of Boong while he plays father of his best friend.
Vikram remembers that it was immediately after the shoot in March-April 2023 that problems started arising in Manipur. “A week after our shoot in Moreh, the hotel was burnt and violence broke out. But, we had a great shoot experience. I learnt and spoke Manipuri, and I was the only actor from the Hindi industry in the cast.”
After this film, he did another indie film, Flames. “It’s a survival story set in the Haryana belt, and it has started going to festivals now. Interestingly, Suparn Verma came on board as a presenter after someone recommended him after watching Boong. So, sometimes taking the risk of doing indie projects does well. I am again shooting an indie film in Bundelkhand. I will keep trying my best to balance between independent and commercial films,” says the actor.
Besides indie projects, he has several commercial projects in hand, including the OTT series Raktanchal 3, Hello Bachhon, an Indo-German film and more.
