Logesh Balachandran of
The Times of India gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Kovai Sarala's intense performance is a treat to watch. She has done great justice to the role and carries the film on her shoulders". Bhuvanesh Chander of
The Hindu wrote "Despite all the fumbles, Prabhu manages to leave you with hope. To the vulnerable sections of society, he assures them that they are not alone, and to the rest of us, he asks us to look out for others". Senthilraja R of
News18 wrote "It makes it seem like the song is not being focused on because the story should be given importance". Saradha U of
The News Minute gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Makers of Sembi briefly focus on how sexual abuse is politicised and how it hardly benefits the survivors". Navein Darshan of
Cinema Express gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Nivas Prasanna fills in the shoes of Prabhu's regular composer
Imman and he delivers a remarkable background score that almost compensates for the forgettable songs". Dhanushya of
ABP Live gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Overall, Sembi is a film that gives voice to the voiceless". Khalillulah of
Hindu Tamil Thisai wrote "On the whole, Prabhu Salomon's Sembi, who intends to transmit the intense pain by committing sexual violence against girls, is stymied by some obstacles". A critic for
Cinema Vikatan wrote "That's why the POCSO court trial shown in the climax and the vibe it gives passes without much of a shock to us."
Sakshi Post gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Sembi is a movie worth a watch." A critic for
India Herald wrote "Applause is due to the makeup artist and costume designer for bringing some realism to the screen." ==References==