Basmati Blues

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 11% based on 28 reviews, and an average rating of 3.91/10. The website's consensus reads, "Like the genetically modified grain at the center of its story, Basmati Blues is probably best locked in storage and saved for cases of cinematic famine."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[11]

Rohan Naahar of the Hindustan Times said the "film is unbelievably and insultingly racist." He continues "this isn't the loving homage to Bollywood musicals that was originally intended. It isn't a takedown on global capitalism and the corrupt food industry. And it most certainly isn't a celebration of India."[12]

Upon release, the film was criticized on social media, as well as by film critics, for promoting a stereotypical depiction of South Asians and India.[13] In particular, the trailer was perceived to play into the white savior trope common in Hollywood cinema, in which a white character helps non-white characters in unfortunate circumstances, a trope that has been widely criticized for being racially offensive.[14] The film has also been criticized for being culturally insensitive,[15] and promoting one-dimensional and simplistic portrayals of Indian culture. In response, the filmmakers have expressed regret that the trailer presented the movie as promoting such tropes,[16] saying that the trailer did not adequately capture the spirit of the movie, and that the film was intended to be a homage to the Bollywood cinema of India.[17]