Bawaal received mixed reviews from critics.
Shubhra Gupta of
The Indian Express gave the film 1.5 out of 5, writing, "Varun Dhawan-Janhvi Kapoor-starrer promises a lot, but keeps faltering, never quite knowing what to make of a wholly harebrained flourish in the plot." Leaf Arbuthnot of
The Guardian gave the film 1 out of 5, calling the premise "serviceable" but the plot "woefully misjudged." She further wrote that "it is just a pity that rest of the film is so lacking in fun, pep, humour and charm that only its spectacularly poor taste stands out." Amongst positive reviews,
Sukanya Verma of
Rediff.com gave the film 3 out of 5, writing, "Director Nitesh Tiwari has a knack for creating intriguing characters and scenarios that feel fresh yet familiar at the same time. But the underlying goal behind all their actions -- questionable or inspirational -- is rooted in wisdom." Lachmi Deb Roy of
Firstpost gave the film 3 out of 5, writing, "Despite all its drawbacks, one takeaway from the film is that it’s okay to be an average person with imperfections than to be a fake person." Several publications criticized the film for "insensitive portrayal" of the Holocaust. Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Jewish human rights organisation
Simon Wiesenthal Center asked Amazon to “stop monetising” Bawaal with immediate effect and called the film a “banal trivialisation of the suffering and systematic murder of millions of victims of the Nazi Holocaust.” On 28 July 2023,
Embassy of Israel, New Delhi tweeted that "The Israeli embassy is disturbed by the trivialization of the significance of the Holocaust in the recent movie 'Bawaal'." They also criticised the "poor choice in the utilization of some terminology in the movie."
Accolades == Notes ==