Release The first look teaser was released on 24 May 2014. while the theatrical trailer was unveiled on 21 September 2014 in a press event held in
Nueplex Cinemas Karachi. The film was released on
Eid Al-Adha 2014.
Critical reception Hala Syed of
DAWN.com rated the film 4/5 and wrote "It does not glorify war but depicts it in a gritty realistic, thought provoking way. It's engaging, unflinching and unique in that it dares to tell the dark and intense stories in the shadows." Aayan Mirza of
Galaxy Lollywood rated it 4 out of 5 and wrote "O21 is the most intelligent Pakistani cinema has ever been. It won’t spoon feed you everything, you have to make deliberate efforts to remain attentive, conscious and seriously into the film. You can’t miss to watch even an inch of the screen. O21 is absolutely not a propaganda film, but instead presents an intelligent case. It might compel you enough to Google certain things when you get back home. It is a masterpiece that can easily be put right there with any spy-thriller in the world." Zia Shahid of
Sabz Irtiqa rated it 8 out of 10 and wrote "Jami’s direction can be explained in just one word “Stunning”, people who knows Jami for his previous work and have seen his music videos knew that O21 won't be a straightforward film, Jami have certainly made the audience to put their thinking cap on while watching the movie or else they won't understand the film. On the whole O21 is dark and mysterious and it has taken the Pakistani cinema to the new level, thank you Jami for proving that Pakistani cinema is not just about item numbers and Bollywood stereo types." Faria Syed of
HiP wrote "The film is thrilling, visually stunning and well-acted with multiple layers of story. There are no songs to titillate, no simple solutions to facilitate those who would rather not think about what they are watching." Umer Ali of
Skotato rated 4/5 and wrote "It is the best film ever produced in Pakistan in terms of brains and execution and it is a must watch if you are a spy thriller geek." Zeeshan Ahmed of
The Express Tribune rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and gave a verdict "It’s a dense film, one you wouldn’t want to watch again. But do watch it once to embrace the fact that even a Pakistani film can opt for a slow and steady approach towards storytelling." Afra Jamal of
Daily Times wrote "Operation O21 is poised to be a game changer that challenges the palate and forges its own identity from a fragmented landscape. It’s a start." == Box office ==