India

Reception of the film in India has been mixed. One critic writes praises the music, writing: "this along with its already popular songs makes Crook a full on entertainment package that should not be missed when it releases all over on 8 October". Movie critic Taran Adarsh

Taran Adarsh

Taran Adarsh is an Indian film critic, journalist, editor and film trade analyst. He is also a former producer and screenwriter. He is the son of film director and producer, B.K. Adarsh....

, criticized the film as a "half-hearted effort", but praises Mohit Suri's handling of the subject during the second hour of the film. Another critic praised the film for presenting "an altogether different approach to the situation and (the director) takes both the sides and speaks in favour of Indians and as well as the Australians.

Among negative reviews, a critic at India Today

India Today

India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...

 complained that the film racially vilifies Australians as:
Also that "it is badly directed and doesn't even have that one redeeming feature of all"

A critic at Rediff.com

Rediff.com

Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....

 complained of a weak script and story line. A reviewer at bollyspice.com said that the film was "too insensitive" and "superficial".

Australia

One media outlet in Australia voiced concern about the film, repeating Indian newspaper reviews that Crook portrayed Australia as "A country of ex-convicts. A country where they sleep with each other without marrying. A country where they don't take care of their families. Yes that's the sort of venom that's spewed against the Australians in Crook."

Among Australia's local Indian population, Gautam Gupta, spokesman for the Federation of Indian Students

Federation of Indian Student Associations in Australia

The Federation of Indian Student Associations in Australia was incorporated in 2002 by Gautam Gupta after he was the victim of a drunken assault leading to depression and his decision to start the federation...

 criticised the piece, saying: "They have performed their research so badly, it's shocking." He also complained that, far from helping the situation, that the film could help inflame tensions.

Director Mohit Suri

Mohit Suri

Mohit Suri, is an Indian film director, most known for his films, like Kalyug and Awarapan .He is member of the Bhatt family...

 responded to these charges, rejecting the claims of bias. The Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....

 quoted Suri saying:
Responding to allegations that the film is "poorly researched", Suri says, “I have just made a film. At 28, don’t expect me to have a cure to racism

Racism

Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...

worldwide. I have just expressed my opinion. Suri also complained that during the production of the film:

Awards and Nominations

6th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards

Nominated

• Apsara Award for Best Music - Pritam
• Apsara Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role - Arjan Bajwa