best films and described it as "a supernatural love story where the desert of Rajasthan too becomes a character". The Times of India hailed her as "exceptional" and further wrote that she "looked real, convincing and incredible - all at the same time, in her very authentic Rajasthani attire". According to Jha in the book The Essential Guide to Bollywood, "The film is made memorable by Dimple Kapadia's unblinking portrayal of the ghost, rendered immeasurably ethereal by the underrated composer Hridayanath Mangeshkar's haunting melodies sung with ravishing resonance by the composer's sister Lata Mangeshkar." In a 2021 article for the National Herald, Jha included Lekin in the list of Kapadia's best performances. Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com wrote, "Dimple achieves a soulful embodiment of Gulzar's enigmatic apparition and melancholy in Lekin." In a piece about the film's costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, Lekha J. Tandon of The Indian Express wrote, "Lekin is striking, not just for its haunting story and music, and Dimple Kapadia's performance, but also for its mood and tone. Athaiya can claim credit for this, because her costumes, especially the heroine's, fully capture the mysterious mood and ambiguous tone of the film." In 2000, M.L. Dhawan listed the film as one of the best films of 1991, labelling it a "celluloid classic". Verma of Rediff.com wrote that "Gulzar's exquisite poetry combined with the stark surroundings give a haunting quality to the film." Author and journalist Rasheed Kidwai, in his book Neta–Abhineta: Bollywood Star Power in Indian Politics, called the film an "underrated metaphysical melodrama". According to Kidwai, the film is known as one of Vinod Khanna's "greatest works". In his book Hero, author Ashok Raj praised Khanna for delivering "an impressive performance" in the lead part. Lata Mangeshkar said that she considers Lekin "a very proud achievement" for her. The film's music maintains considerable popularity. Rajiv Vijayakar of The Indian Express lauded the film's soundtrack as Hridaynath Mangeshkar's "career-best Hindi film score" in what he considered a "stupendous album". Rineeta Naik of Scroll.in praised the "combination of Gulzar’s lyrics and Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s music", which is "adequately ghostly". She elaborated, "The music follows, with Rajasthani folk tunes enhanced and embellished by Gulzar’s poetry and the komalswars (half notes) of Maand, Todi and the rarely performed Vihangini (a form of Raga created by Pt. Mani Prasad), all lending pathos and mystery, the essential elements of the film." "Yaara Seeli Seeli", pictured