Critical reception Mukkabaaz received mostly positive reviews from critics with particular praise for Singh's performance.
Rajeev Masand responded positively saying, "[..] populated by characters that are authentic and rooted firmly in the landscape, the film sees Kashyap on solid ground." He felt, however, the film was "overlong and occasionally rambling". Anirudh Bhattacharya of
Outlook felt the film was a "little heftier" but said, "this isn't
Raging Bull, it's just rocky."
Raja Sen called it Kashyap's best film, made with "vintage filmi sensibility but highly modern skills". He also praised Singh for a "tremendous performance, not least because of his staggeringly authentic physicality". The
Hindustan Times Rohit Vats commended both Hussain's and Singh's performances. He noted that though Hussain is "at the lack of words" ... "her eyes are not", and praising Singh for giving a "performance we all will cherish for years". Vats also called it "the best film in last one year or so."
(sic) Renuka Vyavahare of
The Times of India cited the film as a "total knockout" and wrote: "The not-just-a-boxing film must not be missed as it puts forth a message that's most relevant in today's world."
The Hindus
Namrata Joshi wrote: "This is in no way a celebration of sports but a hard-nosed look at the rampant corruption, nepotism and casteist politics at the core of games, and life in general, especially their centrality in Uttar Pradesh." Saibal Chatterjee of
NDTV praised Hussain and
Zoya's performances and the treatment of cow vigilantism and wrote: "Watch it because it is one of the more important films to have come out of the Mumbai movie industry in recent times."
Anupama Chopra praised Singh's physical transformation as well as the "internal transformation", though she expressed her concern over the film's runtime that "just wears you down".
Mayank Shekhar wrote: "
Mukkabaaz marks Kashyap's fab return to a realm he understands and expresses best -- with all its flaws, angst and humour, Tarantino-esque pop-culture references, making it all as distressing as it is frickin' fun and real." Rachit Gupta of
Filmfare felt it was Kashyap's "most mature film to date" with "bits of
Rocky,
On the Waterfront and a whole lot of
Romeo & Juliet". Uday Bhatia of
Mint called it a "bracing start to the movie year" that is "overstuffed, enjoyable and urgent". On the contrary, Sreehari Nair of
Rediff.com felt the film tried to cover too many issues and called it a "minor Anurag Kashyap film" that "aims low and hits." Shubhra Gupta of
The Indian Express said that the "punches land in exactly the right place" when caste discrimination is addressed in the film. She also felt that the "film falters when it slips into melodrama". Tanul Thakur of
The Wire wrote: "
Mukkabaaz fails to go beyond the surface of caste realities."
Reuters Shilpa Jamkhandikar said that the film "tries to land too many punches, and in doing so, misses the mark." Among the overseas reviewers, Deborah Young of
The Hollywood Reporter in a positive review wrote: "Energetic, cinematic, political and not just for sports fans."
Screen International's David D'Archy mentioned in his review: "Kashyap manages to pack caste inequality, corruption and a triumph over disability into a romantic melodrama built around the boxing ring." Wendy Ide called the film an example of "gritty, grubby film-making" with "robustly filthy" dialogues, the violence "unflinching and the music loaded with innuendo". Mike McCahill of
The Guardian called it "a heavy-hitting social critique disguised as a rock 'em–sock 'em sports movie."
Box office Mukkabaaz earned in its first day of release and on its second day. It collected a total of in its first weekend and in its first week. The film's opening was slow but the collections increased after positive word of mouth.
Mukkabaaz earned a total of over its theatrical run. ==See also==