According to a Rediff.com article, "The Most Memorable Mani Movies", Mouna Ragam was "arguably the film that announced Mani Ratnam to the Tamil film industry as a talent to watch out for. An excellent script by Ratnam himself, [cinematography by P. C. Sreeram] and a lilting score by [Ilaiyaraaja] made it a hit with both critics and moviegoers". Pavithra Srinivasan of the same website said, "It took a Mani Ratnam to move away from clichéd romantic dialogues and capture subtle nuances that add so much richness to the story, introduce proper, three dimensional characters that lived breathed and sorrowed like everyone else". Deccan Chronicle listed Karthik and Revathi on its "Top 10 Jodis" of Tamil cinema; they "made a fresh pair and were adored by the youth, especially the college students. Their awesome on-screen chemistry in Mouna Ragam was a talking point back then". For the April 2013 centenary of Indian cinema, Forbes India included Revathi's performance in its list, "25 Greatest Acting Performances of Indian Cinema".
