The film stars Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta in lead roles, alongside a supporting cast of Arshad Warsi, Tania Zaetta and Jugal Hansraj.

[3] The film tells the story of two young and modern Indians, Nick and Ambar, who have left their homes to make a life on their own in Melbourne, Australia.

The story follows one year of their lives, dealing with their problems and relationships, from their first meeting at a wedding ceremony, to their decision to move in together without marriage, to their break-up upon discovering that Ambar is pregnant.

[4][5] On 24 September 2005, the script of the film was invited to be included in the Margaret Herrick Library, which is operated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

[8][9][10] Nikhil "Nick" Arora (Saif Ali Khan) and Ambar "Amby" Malhotra (Preity Zinta) are two liberal Indians who have left India to live in Melbourne, Australia.

According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 14,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's thirteenth highest-selling.

[12] Subhash K. Jha further wrote, "Beneath the vibrant veneer, the film makes a very telling and serious comment on commitment-phobia especially among the ambitious urban males who would rather have their cake and sleep with it too.

Taran Adarsh from the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama rated Salaam Namaste 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an immensely likeable film that should appeal to all ages, mainly its target audience -- the youth".

[18] Dominic Ferrao of Filmfare noted that "Khan and Zinta come off with flying colors, delivering superlative and lively performances" and concluded that the film exemplifies how "Indian cinema is evolving".

[20] Devyani Srivastava of Mid-Day believed the film's "substance lies in the pensive questions it poses, and answers, about adult relationships", and appreciated the "memorable performances", noting Zinta's character of "the strong-willed, independent Ambar" to be "a rare Bollywood heroine.

[22] Sarita Tanwar of Mid Day noted the film's "bold, refreshing and unique" subject, praised the performances, but thought the script needed "some fine-tuning".

[23] Rediff's Lindsay Perreira concluded that "for an afternoon of laughs, some excellent performances by Khan, Zinta and Jaffrey, and a well-shot tour of Melbourne, you can't go wrong with Salaam Namaste".

[24] Rama Sharma of The Tribune gave a positive review of the main lead and concluded the film as worth a watch, despite an "inadequate" end.

[25] Namrata Joshi of Outlook called it "a rare Hindi film" in its portrayal of the characters, but criticized the pregnancy part, which she found unconvincing.

Elley called Khan "a real leading man" and Zinta "the most substantial actress among the younger Bollywood crop", believing they avoid sentimentality and "show the ability to spin on a dime between comedy and drama".

"[29] The BBC's Manish Gajjar described the film as "a great entertainer" and enjoyed the pairing of Khan and Zinta, who he thought performed convincingly and whose comic timing he found "just perfect".

[30] Writing for The New York Times, Anita Gates praised Zinta as a "cheerleader-homecoming queen-fraternity sweetheart pretty", but gave the film a mixed review.