Critical response The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
Taran Adarsh of
Bollywood Hungama gave a score of 4/5 and said "BODYGUARD works for varied reasons – it has a simple, captivating story with a dramatic twist in the tale, the chemistry between the lead actors is poor but the music is well juxtaposed in the narrative. But its biggest USP is, without doubt, Salman Khan. He carries the film on his broad and brawny shoulders and that alone is the imperative reason for watching this film."
Zee News gave the film 4 stars and praised the directorial skills of Siddique: "Kudos to filmmaker Siddique to have presented Salman Khan in a way never seen before! And the action sequences are breathtaking."
Samay Live gave it 4 stars and wrote; "There are stunning events of twist in the film which will keep you stay with your seats till the end. Shivesh Kumar of
IndiaWeekly awarded the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Kaveree Bamzai of
India Today awarded the movie 3 stars and stated: "Anyone who has watched Khan's recent movies will recognise the signs – a killer dialogue which will be remembered till the next blockbuster is manufactured, a signature ring tone, and a pre-fight ritual-in this case, it is taking off his watch. In his review for
The Times of India, Gaurav Malani wrote: "Salman Khan is cool and convincing in the title role. His subdued act and charming innocence wins your heart. Kareena Kapoor is likeable ... Bodyguard doesn't catch you off guard. But it's a decent entertainer nonetheless." Phelim O'Neill of
The Guardian praised the technical aspects of the film and awarded three of five stars: "Bollywood movies have improved dramatically in technical terms over the last few years. Here the fight and stunt sequences are afforded as much care and attention as the song and dance scenes; it's all top-notch stuff."
Daily Bhaskar awarded the movie three out of five stars and wrote: "Salman, Kareena and Siddique serve a good Eid biryani for the audience by blending romance, action and comedy." Shubha Shetty-Saha of
MiD DAY gave it two and a half stars saying, "The film is obviously not expected to be intellectually stimulating. But to give it due credit, it provides loads of entertainment, the kind you may have come to expect of a Salman Khan film." Sukanya Verma of
Rediff gave it 2.5 of 5 stars and stated: "A standard entertainer with generic ingredients like action, emotion, romance, comedy, song and dance, the Hindi remake of Malayalam super-hit Bodyguard is like a mediocre Pizza Margherita that's gone stingy on the mozzarella, bland on the sauce with nothing except a half-crunchy base and uneven scattering of basil leaves." The film also received a few negative reviews. Andy Webster of
The New York Times said "If only the film's archly slick director, Siddique, had adopted the same winking attitude toward the romantic arc. A twist near the end sends this contrived movie into a maudlin stratosphere from which it doesn't recover. But at least, in Ms. Keech's supporting presence, understated yet palpable, we sense a performer of emerging, and remarkable, star power."
Nikhat Kazmi of
The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The film, a remake of a South Indian hit, may end up as another blockbuster, like most Salman films have been doing in the recent past. Yet, sadly, this one's mostly bluster." Sonia Chopra from
Sify gave the film 2.5 stars and said "Bodyguard is endurable (and I say this without any condescension) for those who can forgive the haphazard story and be happy enjoying the songs and watching Salman and Kareena onscreen." Saibal Chatterjee from
NDTV gave the film 2/5 stars and concluded that "If you value the mop on your scalp and the grey cells in your head and want guard yourself against this potentially mind-numbing body blow, give it a miss. Better be safe than sorry!" Aniruddha Guha of
Daily News and Analysis gave it 2 stars and wrote: "Salman is charming as ever, and the fact that he’s playing a slightly different character would have actually worked to the film’s advantage if it was backed by a better script." Rajeev Masand of
CNN-IBN gave it 2 out of 5 stars and called it a lazy remake. Mayank Shekhar of
Hindustan Times panned the film giving it one and a half stars. He argued that the film "for more parts, is a sappy romantic pap". Shubra Gupta from
The Indian Express also gave it one and a half stars and said "'Bodyguard' can also safely be called in which Salman Continues to Give Us Those Ones."
The Hindu in its review said "It's the Salman version of a Karan Johar film of the Nineties that is bound to be compared with the sappiness of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, given the drama at the end." == Box office ==