 Anupama Chopra gave a rating of 4 out of 5 and wrote "Kaminey is the best Bollywood film I 've seen this year. It's an audacious, original rollercoaster ride. Written and directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, Kaminey requires patience and attention but the pay off is more than worth it." Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4 out of 5 and wrote "Kaminey is bold, stark, funny and unpredictable and is a film with an attitude. Like it or leave it, but you 'd never be able to ignore it. Word from the wise: Go for this hatke (different) experience!" Zee News also rated the film 4 out of 5 and said, "Bhardwaj has once again delivered a powerful film that completely bowls you over with its splendid script, riveting narrative and stellar performances by lead pair — Shahid and Priyanka [who] have a cracking on-screen chemistry that certainly reminds you of yesteryears [sic] on-screen couples." The review also said, "Kaminey is an engrossing flick that does not let you move from your seat!" Kaveree Bamzai of India Today rated the film 4 out of 5 and said it "is dark, melodramatic, poetic and ultimately operatic". He also said, "Its lyrics are the blow-up-your-brains-out kind ... and its music, composed by the multi-talented Bharadwaj is perfectly in sync with a narrative that doesn't pause for breath." Namrata Joshi from Outlook gave a rating of 4 out 5 and called Kaminey "a strikingly anarchic, unusually energetic, quirky and frenetic film". Sudhish Kamath of The Hindu gave the film 4 stars and wrote, "Kaminey takes the post-postmodern noir genre to a whole new level, to a sophistication the Indian audience isn 't used to. Watch it at least twice to fully appreciate this masterpiece." Writing for Variety, critic Joe Leydon described the film as a "tasty cinematic masala that is energetically entertaining, if not consistently coherent".
