Utpal Kumar

A year ago, in January 2025, my second book Eminent Distorians: Twists and Truths in Bharat’s History was released. With Mahadev’s blessings and your immense love, it has been a remarkable journey. The book has not only sold well but, more importantly, sparked a much-needed discourse on how Bharat’s history has long been distorted. What gives me even greater satisfaction is seeing the term “distorians” entering popular conversation for our so-called “eminent historians.” And now, one year later, I am delighted to share that the Hindi edition is here — Prakhyat Galpkar. The title, beautifully coined by its translator Arun Tiwari, captures the spirit of the original. Arun ji has poured his heart into ensuring that the essence, intensity, and intent of the English version resonate just as powerfully in Hindi. My heartfelt thanks to my publisher, @praveenBlu ji, and the entire team at @BluOneInk for their unwavering support. As the book is available on #Amazon (amazon.in/dp/9365477328) on preorder, I seek your blessings and encouragement once again. Support this book — not merely because it carries my name, but because it is a sincere effort to reclaim and restore the true history of Bharat. Looking forward to your continued love and support. 🙏 #newbookrelease #books #EminentDistorians #PrakhyatGalpkar #newbookalert

Awesome piece on #Dhurandhar2‌TheRevenge ; @AdityaDharFilms has creates more than film firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

Well written article about pain left and so called liberal gang is feeling about Dhurandhar. firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

What a pleasant surprise to find my #book #EminentDistorians in the esteemed long list. Truly indebted. @vikramsampath @praveenBlu @BluOneInk

@fihcr_info is delighted to announce the longlist of the 1st edition of the RC Majumdar Prize for Indian History. A fascinating array of books by diverse authors & historians. Best wishes to all of them. The longlist of other categories of awards will be announced shortly.

When Bharat speaks, Left-‘liberals’ cry ‘propaganda’: Decoding the Dhurandhar debate @Utpal_Kumar1 @firstpost firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

“Cinema, not propaganda”: How one leftist icon just silenced the critics of India’s blockbuster Dhurandhar, writes @DrAmitSarwal Read more: theaustraliatoday.com.au/cinema-not-pro… The controversy surrounding Dhurandhar is being framed as a debate about cinema. It is not. At its heart, this is a fight over narrative ownership — over who gets to assign morality, frame conflict, and determine what stories Indian audiences are permitted to see told on their own terms. As analyst @Utpal_Kumar1 has noted in his recent piece entitled ‘When Bharat speaks, Left-‘liberals’ cry ‘propaganda,’ what is really being contested is not the quality of a film but the legitimacy of its perspective. Piyush Mishra — actor, lyricist, playwright, and for much of his career a prominent voice associated with progressive cultural politics — has said plainly that Dhurandhar is cinema, not propaganda. It is a remark worth pausing over. Mishra is not a figure associated with nationalist politics. He spent decades working within the cultural milieu that shaped much of the ideological grammar described above. When someone of his standing and history draws that distinction, it carries weight that is difficult to set aside. @Pallavi_Aus @rishi_suri @AdityaRajKaul @AdityaDharFilms @jiostudios

"Let’s drop the pretence. The outrage over Dhurandhar is not about cinema. It is also not about the craft or the nuances of the film. It is actually about control — control over who gets to tell the story, whose pain is legitimate, and whose nationalism is justifiable." - blunt @Utpal_Kumar1 firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

"Hollywood, in that way, was different, though it had its own idiosyncrasies. It instructed the world on who the heroes were and who deserved to be bombed, mocked, or ‘civilised’. Russians were villains. Arabs were terrorists. Indians were either mystical caricatures (remember Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) or expendable extras (the character of Anil Kapoor in a Mission: Impossible film is a case in point). All of this was wrapped in billion-dollar franchises and sold as universal storytelling." firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

"When Rambo single-handedly rewrote the trauma of Vietnam into a fantasy of American redemption, it wasn’t propaganda; it was ‘iconic’. When James Bond raced across the globe as a tuxedo-clad emissary of British superiority, it wasn’t propaganda; it was ‘style’. When disaster films showed Americans saving the planet — often alone, but in recent times with Chinese assistance (remember 2012 and The Martian) — it wasn’t propaganda but ‘cinema’ at its commercial best." firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

A slick piece by @Utpal_Kumar1 of @firstpost on Dhuran-Dhar’s cinematic style & genre A movie which will be remembered by “characters” rather than just “actors” Spot on ! @Sriparnapathak @SandeepUnnithan @AdityaRajKaul @AdityaDharFilms firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

Deciding the Dhurandhar debate: firstpost.com/opinion/when-b… | You'd half expect the movie to be an art film from all this debate. Sadly, it's just an action flick - albeit better than most Bollywood works - that has got some people's knickers in a twist

When the US, UK, Russian or Israelis agencies did anything it was amazing..bravo but when we do the same thing ..it's propaganda! That's hypocrisy.. @UTPQLY9s6b18Vrq firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

An exceptional think piece on Dhurandhar and the fallacy of labelling this masterpiece as “propaganda” firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…

#FPOpinion: Recent regional conflicts reveal that supposed security blocs are secondary to the pragmatic balancing acts maintained by India, Saudi Arabia, and their neighbours. firstpost.com/opinion/the-ir… @josephroz

#FIHCR unveils the R.C. Majumdar Prize Longlist! Other categories in the Annual History Prizes 2026 coming soon. @vikramsampath @PanMacIndia @BloomsburyIndia @BluOneInk @Rupa_Books @PenguinIndia @GarudaPrakashan @HarperCollinsIN @Vitastapublish @juggernautbooks

Wonderful article from @Utpal_Kumar1 on global media uproar on Durandhar.

Insightful @Utpal_Kumar1 . The movie is a reminder - the veto they lost in 2014 ain't ever coming back.

@Utpal_Kumar1 nails it: narrative-war specialists in the anglosphere and lutyens are upset that their caricature of Bharat as victim without agency is being blown up by #dhurandhar. Bharat and Hindus are asserting they are not just background scenery. firstpost.com/opinion/when-b…