New Delhi was the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever at that time.
This film is the first installment in the CID series, followed by Pattanapravesam (1988) and Akkare Akkare Akkare (1990).
The film ran for more than 300 days in theaters.
The film attained a cult status in Malayalam cinema. Many of the dialogues in the film became catchphrases.
It is a rare film in Malayalam cinema, in which almost all major and minor characters in the film has delivered at least one dialogue that has become a popular catchphrase.