The storyteller from the tiny Northeastern state of India—Manipur, Borun Thokchom, now stands as one of India’s most promising and significant documentary filmmakers, a non-fiction story creator whose decade-long commitment to preserving untold narratives has transformed the landscape of Manipuri cinema and positioned his state’s cinematic voice on the international stage.
With his latest work, Battlefield, earning selection to the prestigious Indian Panorama at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025, Thokchom has accomplished what many considered impossible: bringing Manipur’s World War II legacy to the world’s most respected cinema platforms.
His early journey from a television journalist reporting from ground zero to an award-winning filmmaker exemplifies both personal perseverance and the emerging potential of alternative cinema from India’s Northeast region, challenging decades of marginalisation and limited thematic representation.
Journalist’s Eye Turns to Documentary: The Early Vision
Born and raised in Imphal, Manipur, Borun Thokchom pursued formal training in mass communication and video production at St. Anthony’s College in Shillong, which laid the foundation stone that would prove instrumental in shaping his distinctive approach to storytelling.
Before venturing into the world of non-fiction filmmaking, Borun worked as a TV journalist after completing his degree in 2004, gaining years of experience covering real-world narratives and developing the investigative sensibilities that would later distinguish his cinematic work. This background as a journalist profoundly influenced his methodology as a filmmaker—his commitment to truth-seeking, verification of sources, and meticulous documentation of human experience became hallmarks of his directorial approach.
In 2011, at a relatively early stage of his career, Thokchom completed his debut documentary, The Silent Poet, a 17-minute examination of Irom Chanu Sharmila, the legendary Manipuri human rights activist and poet whose 16-year non-violent protest against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act made her an iconic figure in India’s civil liberties movement. The film, which showcased Sharmila’s life while emphasising the poetic dimensions of her resistance, earned immediate national recognition by winning the National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director (Non-Feature) at the 59th National Film Awards. This achievement catapulted Thokchom into prominence within documentary circles and signalled the emergence of a filmmaker capable of bringing complex, politically charged narratives to national platforms. The recognition validated his approach: that documentary cinema could excavate profound human stories from marginalised communities and give them dignity, complexity, and universal resonance.
In 2020, after a gap of nine years, Borun Thokchom highlighted and narrated the struggle story of Indian celebrated boxer and Arjuna awardee Laishram Sarita Devi. Through his lens, he encapsulated the challenges of the celebrated boxer as a working mother and athlete fighting in the ring. The film, produced by the Films Division of India, was nominated at the prestigious 17th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) in 2022 for its inspiring story of perseverance. The film I Rise also won Best Documentary Film on Sports at the 13th Manipur State Film Awards (2020) organised by the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS).
In 2023, Borun’s special talent in storytelling through his lens enabled him to become a jury member for non-fiction films at the 69th National Film Awards and also to serve as a preview committee member at the International Cinema Section of the 55th IFFI, Goa.
Borun, revisiting his early interest in music, is currently exploring folk music, and earlier he also got the opportunity to work as a line producer for Harmony with AR Rahman, a documentary series featuring Manipuri folk singer Bedabati Lourembam.
Early Life and Career
Borun’s adolescence, from school and college to his straight-to-ground-zero reporting career, also helped shape and contribute to his journey to becoming an award-winning non-fiction filmmaker from Manipur.
Not many people know that Borun grew up joining the rock and roll crowds in Imphal. During his early days, he performed small gigs in Imphal in a little-known band called “Hena’s Dad” as a drummer with his age group and friends from St. George High School, Imphal, where he passed his matriculation examination (High School Leaving Certificate Examination of Manipur).
He entered the world of journalism with a Handycam in 2005 as a reporter at NETV (a regional news channel), where he worked until 2009, and later joined DY 365 (a regional news channel) as a correspondent from Manipur, where he continues to work.
Borun is the youngest among three siblings, the son of Dr. Thokchom Herald Singh and Sanjenbam Kiranmala Devi, from Kongba Nongthombam Leikai in Imphal East district. His early interest in music is currently driving him towards exploring folk music for films, alongside his regular journalistic career.
“What is important to treat is the content, not the forms. If interest is high, then one can make it with a mobile phone, too,” Borun Thokchom shares his perspective with young people who want to venture into non-fiction film. And, sometimes, you really need to know the subject; sometimes it can turn into an intellectual thing that requires lots of research, Borun stated.
