Movies
“Boong” wins BAFTA for Best Children’s and Family Film
Manipuri-language debut by Lakshmipriya Devi triumphs over Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and Zootopia 2 at 2026 awards.
MUMBAI: A little boy from Manipur just taught the BAFTAs a big lesson sometimes the smallest journeys pack the mightiest emotional punch. “Boong”, the tender Manipuri-language coming-of-age tale directed by Lakshmipriya Devi in her feature debut, clinched the BAFTA for Best Children’s and Family Film on 23 February 2026. The film beat out heavyweights including Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch, animated sequel Zootopia 2, and the science-fantasy Arco to claim the prize.
The story follows young Boong (Gugun Kipgen), who believes reuniting his mother Mandakini (Bala Hijam) with his long-absent father Joykumar would be the perfect gift. When rumours swirl that his father has died after migrating to the border town of Moreh for work, Boong together with his loyal friend Raju (Angom Sanamatum) sets off on an innocent, determined quest for truth and a fresh start. What begins as a child’s simple wish unfolds into a heartfelt exploration of family, hope, and resilience.
Backed by actor-producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani via Excel Entertainment, and co-produced by Chalkboard Entertainment and Suitable Pictures, “Boong” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024 before a theatrical release in September that year. It later screened at the Warsaw International Film Festival, MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, 55th International Film Festival of India, and Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
Lakshmipriya Devi, who previously served as first assistant director on films including Luck by Chance, Talaash, PK, and Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy, brings a grounded yet lyrical touch to her debut. The win marks a proud milestone for Indian regional cinema on the global stage.
While the main BAFTA best film race features heavy-hitters like One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sinners, and Sentimental Value, and the British film category includes The Ballad of Wallis Island, Pillion, I Swear, and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, “Boong” stands out as the sole Indian contender to take home gold this year.
In a night where directing nods went to Paul Thomas Anderson, Josh Safdie, Ryan Coogler, Yorgos Lanthimos, Joachim Trier, and Chloé Zhao (who could become the first woman to win two BAFTA directing awards after Nomadland), “Boong” quietly proved that heartfelt storytelling from distant corners can resonate louder than any blockbuster budget.
For once, a six-year-old’s dream outshone Disney magic and the BAFTA stage just got a little more colourful.
Hindi
India’s telecom subscribers cross 1.32 billion in February 2026
Broadband base swells past 1.06 billion as Jio and Airtel tighten grip on the market.
MUMBAI: India’s telecom sector is ringing in steady growth once again adding millions of new connections every month while the race for broadband supremacy continues to heat up like a fiercely contested cricket match. According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 1 April 2026, the total telephone subscriber base in the country reached 1,321.31 million at the end of February 2026. This marked a net addition of 7.31 million subscribers during the month, translating into a monthly growth rate of 0.56 per cent.
Wireless subscribers (including mobile and Fixed Wireless Access) stood at 1,273.31 million, registering a net addition of 6.97 million and a growth rate of 0.55 per cent. Within this, urban wireless connections grew to 730.75 million (growth 0.70 per cent), while rural wireless subscribers reached 542.56 million (growth 0.35 per cent).
Wireline subscribers, though much smaller in scale, showed slightly faster growth. The total wireline base increased to 47.99 million, with a net addition of 0.34 million and a monthly growth rate of 0.70 per cent. Urban areas continued to dominate wireline connections with a share of 89.41 per cent.
Overall tele-density in India improved to 92.66 per cent. Urban tele-density stood at 150.68 per cent, while rural tele-density edged up to 60.02 per cent.
The broadband subscriber base crossed a significant milestone, reaching 1,059.05 million at the end of February 2026. This reflected a healthy net addition of 6.33 million subscribers and a monthly growth rate of 0.60 per cent from January’s figure of 1,052.72 million.
Segment-wise, mobile wireless access continued to drive the majority of growth with 996.52 million subscribers. Fixed Wireless Access (including 5G FWA) added 16.51 million, while wired broadband stood at 46.02 million.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. maintained its commanding lead with 519.64 million broadband subscribers. Bharti Airtel Ltd. followed with 364.14 million, Vodafone Idea Ltd. with 129.36 million, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. with 28.70 million, and Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd. with 2.38 million.
Together, these top five players command a massive 98.60 per cent share of the total broadband market.
In the wireless (mobile) segment, private operators continued to dominate with 92.59 per cent market share, leaving public sector undertakings (BSNL and MTNL) with just 7.41 per cent.
Out of the total 1,257.29 million wireless (mobile) subscribers, 1,177.60 million were active on the peak Visitor Location Register (VLR) date, representing an impressive 93.66 per cent activity rate. Bharti Airtel led in this metric with 99.42 per cent of its subscribers active.
Meanwhile, 14.47 million subscribers submitted requests for Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in February, indicating healthy competition and customer churn across zones.
While urban areas still lead in absolute numbers, rural connectivity is slowly catching up. Rural wireless tele-density stood at 59.46 per cent, compared with the much higher urban figure of 142.32 per cent.
Fixed Wireless Access using 5G technology also showed promising traction, growing to 11.93 million subscribers. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are the primary players driving this segment.
The data paints a picture of a maturing yet still rapidly expanding telecom ecosystem. With total telephone subscribers now well past the 1.32 billion mark and broadband users comfortably above 1.06 billion, India continues to solidify its position as one of the world’s largest and most dynamic digital markets.
From bustling city streets to remote villages, more Indians are staying connected than ever before proving that when it comes to telecom, the country’s appetite for growth shows no signs of hanging up anytime soon.
