Anna M. M. Vetticad of
Firstpost found the film 'bitter-sweet'. She praised the acting of Hashmi, Dugal and supporting cast and music of Amartya Bobo Rahut. She criticised the screenplay of Nadkarni co-written with Rakesh Jadhav for robbing the narrative of the film with 'substance and considerable sociological commentary'. Praising cinematographer Amalendu Chaudhary for 'striking shots across several locations', she rated it with two and half stars out of five. Vetticad concluded, "
Darbaan is nice enough, but it lacks depth and width." Pradeep Kumar reviewing for
The Hindu called it "simplistic take on servitude that feels out of place". Agreeing with Vetticad, Kumar also criticised the screenplay because he felt, "...story remains under explored". He also found the soundtrack "endearing". He concluded, "However, beyond his [Hashmi's] classy performance,
Darbaan seems like a script better suited to the stage than the canvas of a cinema.". ==References==