Thumbs up, by Lekhaka, Filmi Beat : ...Overall, Gul Makai is also a war film that gives a bit of an insight into what truly happened in Swat Valley between the years 2007 to 2012.... full review

Thumbs up, by Sami Ha Zen, Khaleej Times : ...You may be disappointed if you go to watch the film to learn more about Malala. But do watch it for its directorial excellence, a very different genre of music (also penned by the director), not to mention the Swat dialect. The movie ends with Malala being taken to hospital. That is actually the moment from which the world begins to know the young education activist. The director leaves the rest of the story for the audience to explore themselves, as her life after that, has been extensively covered in media.... full review

Thumbs down, by ARNAB BANERJEE, Deccan Chronicle : ...It takes a certain touch to pull it off, and here, neither the director nor the writers seem to have it!... full review

Thumbs down, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...There is a clip from a speech by the real Malala at the end credits which offers more impact about education of girls worldwide than this two hour film because it showed a person's burning desire to bring about a change. Sadly that intensity was absent in this popcorn version of events.... full review

Thumbs down, by UDITA JHUNJHUNWALA, FirstPost : ...Gul Makai is well-intentioned but as a film, it flails about, overusing background music, abruptly ending scenes, not convincingly recreating an environment and shortchanging its subject. The script feels like a compilation of information culled from news clippings, Wikipedia, and books on Malala. Best to go straight to the source material and bypass this ennui.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shubha Shetty Saha, Free Press Journal : ...Reem, a popular TV actor, disappoints in her portrayal of Malala. Reem hardly seems convincing and may do better under the guidance of a better director. While Atul Kulkarni is no doubt a good actor, here he seems totally out of place. Divya Dutta, as usual, is brilliant. Most of the other actors seem to be struggling to fit into roles that are clearly not meant for them. This one’s a big... full review

Thumbs down, by Vishal Verma, Glamsham.com : ...It’s so saddening to see the legendary Om Puri in such a disaster. Seasoned actors like Arif Zakaria, Mukesh Rishi, Abhimanyu Singh, Pankaj Tripathi and Sharib Hashmi seem to be in the competition of whose beard is weirder. For some relief Kamlesh Gill brings some feeling of normalcy.... full review

Thumbs down, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...All said and done, Gul Makai is a perfect example of how every inspirational story couldn’t turn out to be a good film. I wouldn’t recommend this even on television & it’s better to watch a documentary around her life or we’ve enough books for that.... full review

Thumbs down, by Kunal Guha, Mumbai Mirror : ...There is a clip from a speech by the real Malala at the end credits which offers more impact about education of girls worldwide than this two hour film because it showed a person's burning desire to bring about a change. Sadly that intensity was absent in this popcorn version of events.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...About the only redeeming feature in the poorly paced and amateurishly directed movie is the suggestion that the Pakistani Army, despite their shortcomings, suffered deeply for taking on the Taliban. The wigs and fake beards sported by the numerous terrorists who crowd the frames provide welcome distractions from the near-unending tedium.... full review

Thumbs down, by Vinayak Chakravorty, Sify Movies : ...Zakaria, Mukesh Rishi and Abhimanyu Singh, cast as Talibani fundamentalists, settle for one-dimensional villain roles -- they play out filmi terrorists reminiscent of nineties stereotypes in this half-baked fare.... full review

Thumbs down, by Pallabi Dey Purkayastha, Times of India : ...‘Gul Makai’ could have been a very strong story, but the initial spark fizzles out when translated on screen; the takeaway here is close to nothing.... full review