The narrative meanders between the biographic moments of Siddheshwari Devi's life, that describes her relationship with her guru and her benefactor, intertwined with the mythic history of thumri and tappa as a musical form located in the medieval ghats, gullies and mansions of Varanasi.
We would call it non-linear narrative.”[4] Srikanth Srinivisan wrote in The Hindu that in Siddheshwari, instead of simply presenting biographical details or passively documenting the singer's artistry, Kaul turns the genre of cine-profile inside out, amalgamating literary, theatrical, musical and cinematic forms together to construct an experience of music.
"The sprawling film blends multiple timelines, realities and geographies to sketch a unique portrait of the artist," he wrote.
[5] In a review for The New York Times, Caryn James compared the film with an abstract painting, "wildly open to interpretation".
[6] In 2014, critic Mark Cousins and filmmaker John Akomfrah voted for Siddheshwari on Sight & Sound's list of "The Greatest Documentaries of All Time", with the former describing the film as "Visconti meets Satyajit Ray".