Utpal Borpujari is a double National Film Award winner; one, as a film critic, and the other, as a filmmaker.

In 2018, he won the National Film Award, and 5 Assam State Film Awards for his debut feature film Ishu[1][2] He holds an M.Tech degree in Applied Geology from the Indian Institute of Technology (Roorkee).

And is a member of the Film Critics Circle of India[3] Utpal has written extensively on film, politics, society, literature, and culture for a variety of newspapers and magazines, such as First Post,[10] DNA,[11] the Deccan Herald[12]Outlook,[13] the Economic Times,[14] Dear Cinema, Eastern Chronicle, The Sentinel, Press Trust of India (PTI, New Delhi), India Times, The Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Times of India, Assam Tribune, North East Times, Deep Focus Cinema, Seven Sisters Post, India Today, The Assam Tribune, The North East Times, Raijor Batori, and Prantik.

As a film critic/journalist, he has covered Cannes, Nantes, Montreal, IFFI, MAMI, the 3rd Eye Asian Film Fest, MIFF, and Osian's Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema film festivals over the years.

And edited the official catalogue of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.