Dil Hai Tumhaara received generally mixed reviews, but Preity Zinta's performance was universally praised by critics, with those critical of the film marking her presence as its main highlight.
Derek Elley of
Variety believed that Zinta's "star-quality playing" is the main reason to watch an otherwise formulaic picture. He further noted its "respectable" production values and praised Rekha for being "quietly commanding as the powerful but conflicted mom".
Khalid Mohamed gave the film 2 stars and wrote, "Clearly, this enterprise is a showcase for the hi-energy and scampering spirit of Zinta. She’s fabulous but content-wise, the stuff is … empty." Ziya Us Salam of
The Hindu believed that as far as director Shah is concerned, the film is "among the more lopsided, half-hearted films he has made in his long career" but he called Zinta "the life of this film". He concluded the review saying: "Take away Zinta and
Dil Hai Tumhaara is a tiresome film in urgent need of heavy editing. Put Zinta in there and it becomes watchable frame-to-frame. Preity is there all through, purely due to her infectious charm." Similarly, Jitesh Pillai of
The Times of India wrote, "it's Zinta, with her mixture of vulnerability and brashness, who delivers a wallop. She's the only bright spark in this dull
dil drama."
Taran Adarsh from
Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "a film that is sure to pull your heart strings", and noted that : "in an author-backed role... Zinta steals the show with a sterling performance", which is "sure to win accolades from the junta and critics whole-heartedly".
Mid-Day's S. Ramachandran believed that the film "has some touching moments, but cliched dialogues mar the script", and noted Zinta for excelling in her part. Sanjeev Singh Bariana of
The Tribune was appreciative of the film, Zinta's central performance, and noted Shah for doing "a commendable job". Manish Gajjar from the
BBC described the film as engaging, and liked the "emotional story" where "Shah explores the sensitive issue of a mother-daughter relationship", and took note of the performances of the cast, calling Zinta "superb" and Chaudhry "touching". Piroj Wadia of
Screen found the film unoriginal, depending on "formulaic love triangles, sibling rivalry in love, prototype character roles and the utter absence of logic". He did appreciate, however, the performances, labelling them the film's "redemption", and noted the unusually realistic portrayal of the sister bond and the camaraderie between Shalu (Zinta) and Nimmi (Chaudhry)." Subhash K. Jha of
The Times of India called the film "delightfully comic", comparing it to
Bimal Roy's
Sujata (1959) and praising Zinta, who, "in a role tailor-made for her" … displays a comic aptitude akin to Hollywood actress
Goldie Hawn". Ronjita Kulkarni from
Rediff.com accused the film of its "regressive thinking" and believed it might appeal particularly to Zinta's fans. She also positively reviewed the performances of Rekha and Choudhry, despite the latter's underdeveloped role. ==Awards==