His performance in Mardaani 2, an action thriller starring Rani Mukherji, and Lootcase, a FOX India film, received rave reviews from critics.
Faheem Ruhani of India Today praised Sumit's performance saying he "plays the lead protagonist with the subtlety that is required of him.
[9] Film critic Subhash K. Jha called Maazii the "shocking surprise of the season" and stated that the lead was "a complex role which Sumit Nijhawan plays with stoicism and smothered anger which works fine for the character.
"[10] IBN Live's review by Rohit Vats emphasized that Sumit's "body language separates him from the superheroes we see in usual Hindi films" and that "this works amazingly in his favor.
"[11] Post-Maazii, Sumit was seen in a substantial role in Shilpa Shetty's home production Dishkiyaoon where he played a gangster, Iqbal Khaleefa, and gave "an implosive performance that ignites the frames".
"[13] The review in Hindustan Times mentioned that Khaleefa, as a "character artist stood out" and though Taran Adarsh was critical of the film, he approvingly wrote that Sumit "played the bad guy without much effort.".
"[20] The film Begum Jaan where he played the strapping Pathan guard to Vidya Balan, got him rave reviews, with Hindustan Times calling him a worthy partner to her [21][22][23] One publication referred to his role as a throwback to Om Puri's role in Mirch Masala, with shades of Govind Nihalani's Tamas and Vinay Shukla's Godmother.
Critics lauded his role as Brij Shekhawat, a jealous senior cop who couldn't stand the success of a woman officer in his department.