[3][4] The film stars Rajkummar Rao in the title role of a government servant who is sent to a politically sensitive area of central India on election duty.

Taking the lead, a frustrated Aatma Singh cuts off Newton aside and shames the villagers by telling them that these officers have risked their lives for their vote, and they should not turn them away.

Newton wants to sit at the polling booth for the stipulated time but is forced to flee due to a Naxal ambush, which he later realizes was actually staged by the CRPF.

On the way back, Newton decides to collect the votes of four villagers who suddenly turn up from deep inside the forest.

Taking his duty very seriously, Newton steals Aatma Singh's rifle and holds the officer at gunpoint till the villagers cast their votes.

Singh comments out of frustration that he did not want polling to be conducted in an area that was only secured by government forces 6 months ago, mentioning that there are still more landmines there than men.

Aatma Singh is shown shopping in civilian dress with his wife and daughter during holidays, suggesting he is humane and conditions in Naxal-affected areas made him a dispassionate and cynical person.

"[13] Neil Soans of The Times of India gave the film a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5, saying, "Newton has dared to take on an issue that our vast majority turns a blind eye to, and slaps us out of our blissful ignorance.

[14] Suhani Singh of India Today gave the film a rating of 4 stars out of 5 and said that, "Newton is a dark comedy that gives you equal measures of dread and disillusionment and hope and hilarity.

This is reality at its finest, with credible performances and backdrops that immerse viewers into the world and where even the faces of the background characters leave a heartbreaking impression.

"[15] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film a rating of 4 stars out of 5 saying that, "Director Amit V Masurkar and co-scriptwriter Mayank Tewari have crafted a strong black comedy.

[16] Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times gave the film a rating of 4 stars out of 5 and said that, "It is one of the finest political satires we have seen in the last couple of years.

The Huffington Post wrote "Newton is a touching, personal and very human film about the strength of one very resolute rookie election clerk to uphold the democratic process in a rebel-threatened area.

"[20] Newton was India's official entry for the 90th Academy Awards;[21] it was also the first Indian film to receive a grant of Rs 1 crore from the Central Government.

After the film's release and its selection as India's entry for the Oscars, Newton was criticized for its striking similarities with the Iranian movie Secret Ballot.

Anurag Kashyap started an online chat with the producer of Secret Ballot Marco Müller, and he stated that "There's not even a hint of plagiarism".