Critical response Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from the film critics who generally praised the performances of the lead actors, particularly of Chopra's but criticised the film for its slow pacing.
Saibal Chatterjee of
NDTV awarded the film 3.5 stars (out of 5) and wrote, "
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is an inspired cinematic essay that draws strength from upending time-worn tics".
Shubhra Gupta of
The Indian Express gave the film 3 stars (out of 5) and wrote, "Dibakar Banerji, who has a nuanced eye when it comes to depicting power play and class differences in the NCR, should have given us a tighter film".
Sukanya Verma of
Rediff gave the film 3 stars (out of 5) and stated, "
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is an intriguing mess". Stutee Ghosh of
The Quint gave the film a score of 3 (out of 5) and wrote, "Devoid of excesses and dramatic highs, the sparseness with which Banerjee steers the story adds meaning and subtly. While mainstream Bollywood fares spell out every little detail and even hammer it repeatedly,
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar fervently sticks to its austerity".
Anupama Chopra of
Film Companion wrote, "
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar doesn't have the pacing that you might expect in a chase film. The narrative has long stretches that plod dangerously. But ultimately, Dibakar steers it to a climax that is both stinging and satisfying".
Anna M. M. Vetticad of
Firstpost gave the film 2.75 stars (out of 5) and wrote, "The film is a mixed bag but I found myself drawn to its quietude and to its heartening conviction that kindness may be found in the most unexpected places and the most unexpected persons could turn out to be allies, sometimes without the expectation of anything in return". Ronak Kotecha of
Times of India gave 2.5 stars (out of 5) and wrote, "
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is one of those neo-noir films that set out with a promise to engage, entertain and educate by slowly unraveling its layered subtext. But with its preposterous execution and frustratingly slow pace, it's the audience who might want to escape, much before Sandeep and Pinky". Film critic based at
Bollywood Hungama gave the film 2 stars (out of 5) and wrote, "
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar has a bearable first half but goes terribly downhill in the second hour". However, they praised Chopra and Kapoor by stating that they delivered a "convincing" and "restrained" respectively. Tanul Thakur of
The Wire (India) called the film "a joyless, drab watch" and stated that its Banerjee;s most "underwhelming" movie. He wrote, "The most obvious culprits are the lead actors who struggle to bring any kind of magnetism or chemistry to their roles".
Box office The film was released in 375 screens on 19 March 2021. The film earned 6
lakhs on its opening day and the opening weekend collection was 20
lakhs. In its complete theatrical run the film grossed
lakh in India and
lakh overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of
lakhs. == Accolades ==