Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 22% of 18 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10.
Reviewers identified the film as either a spy thriller, a spy actioner, an action thriller or a family melodrama.
Vineeta Kumar considered the film better-directed than War 2, despite it being Rawail's feature debut. In contrast, Bollywood Hungama believed the direction to be lacklustre and "not up to the mark." Kumar described the screenplay as focusing more on building shock value over intrigue, and Bollywood Hungama deemed it derivative and illogical. Though, Nandini Ramnath made note of the screenplay containing twists that "enliven the parade of dull writing and repetitive action set pieces." Shubhra Gupta pointed out how characters don't speak in lines, rather "they lurch from one dialogue to another," and Rahul Desai termed the dialogues mechanical. Conversely, Bollywood Hungama had some praise for the dialogues. Some, like Titas Chowdhury, found the story to be "largely predictable". Others, like Bollywood Hungama, believed the story to show promise in the beginning, only to get weak "later on." The characters were "sketchily drawn" for Ramnath. Though, Bollywood Hungama found Durga to be a "far more likable" character than Sita.
While some reviewers, like Kumar, offered praise towards Bhatt for carrying the physicality of the role remarkably well, others, like Chowdhury, had praise for her restrained display of emotions even during moments of heroism. Still others, like Ramnath, were more critical, questioning how much acting can one expect between "high-kicking and weapon-discharging." Some publications, like Bollywood Hungama, found Sharvari's screen presence arresting, who looked "great in action scenes." Others, like Rishabh Suri, were more reserved, believing her performance to be merely obligatory. Kumar went so far as to accuse the film of reducing her into a "sexualised doll who occasionally gets to perform." Some reviewers, like Chowdhury, believed Kapoor to balance both dimensions, his resoluteness as the RAW chief and his helplessness as a father, with ease. Although, for Kumar, he was only there for espousing dialogues. Though, Deol "slips effortlessly under the skin of an antagonist and delivers" for Chowdhury, she also had criticism for his inconsistent Haryanvi accent. Similarly, Kumar believed that his stylish performance was held back by the writing which "doesn't give him enough substance." Mirza received praise from Gupta, Bollywood Hungama and Suri, managing to "leave a mark" for the former. Bhattacharya "lends able support," per Bollywood Hungama. Though, Kumar found Mirza and Bhattacharya to make the film "more melodramatic than it is supposed to be." Roshan was praised by Suri, finding him engaging despite his brief appearance. Though, Kumar questioned the necessity of his appearance.
Action sequences were entertaining for Bollywood Hungama. Though, Gupta and Kumar were more reserved, the former only praising the action between the two leads. Conversely, Chowdhury and Suri found those underwhelming, the former lamenting the lack of originality in them. While "Vaar Vaar" stood out for Bollywood Hungama, the rest of the songs failed to impress them. Additionally, they found "Massacre" to be visually striking, but out of place. The background score was praised by Chowdhury and Suri, the latter commending its effort "to make the action seem cool." The cinematography was praised by Chowdhury and Bollywood Hungama, the latter finding it spectacular. In contrast, Ramnath described the "drab" backdrops as having "shades of muddy grey, green and brown." The production design, "top-class" for Bollywood Hungama, was criticised by Gupta as "usual dank offices" for interior locations and "scenic but familiar" for the outdoor ones. Though she did like the inclusion of Cherrapunji. The costumes were glamorous, the visual effects were first-rate, and the editing was fine for Bollywood Hungama. Conversely, Desai termed the technicalities cosmetic.
