"Dhobi Ghat" had its world premiere in September 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released on 21 January 2011 in cinemas. The film being mainly tagged an Art and Parallel cinema was critically successful, as it well received and appreciated by critics, although it was an average performer at the box office. The film was longlisted for the 65th BAFTA Awards in the Best Film Not in the English Language category.