Heer Express review: Cliches are on track in this clean film that's so sweet, it could give you diabetes

Heer Express review: The first half drags, the second half never grips, and the film can't figure out what to do with its seasoned cast.

Heer Express star rating: ★★

I thought I was watching a toothpaste commercial until the interval. The lead of Heer Express flashes a fit-for-endorsement toothy grin in every situation, even mid-conversation. That is exactly how saccharine the film feels.

Heer Express stars Divita Juneja, Prit Kamani, Ashutosh Rana and Sanjay Mishra.

The premise

The story follows Heer (Divita Juneja), a Punjabi girl who loves cooking and runs a dhaba started by her late mother Preeto. When two guests offer her the chance to run their restaurant in London, rechristened as Preeto Da Dhaba, her uncles (Gulshan Grover and Sanjay Mishra) encourage her to take the leap. Soon she is in London, face to face with the restaurant’s owner (Ashutosh Rana), unaware of the history they share.

The screenplay is as straightforward as they come: Punjab to London, a token family conflict, and a climax so desperate to be different that it collapses under its own weight. The film has been shot largely in London, and cinematographer Sameer Arya captures the locations with polish.

Movie Review

Heer Express

2/5

The story follows Heer (Divita Juneja), a Punjabi girl who loves cooking and runs a dhaba. When two guests offer her the chance to run their restaurant in London, she takes the leap of faith.

Director

Umesh Shukla

Cast

Divita Juneja, Gulshan Grover and Sanjay Mishra

Verdict

Heer Express runs on clichés and endless smiles but never on substance. 

Family audiences, comprising the aged and small children, will like the film as they are understandably its target audience. Not a single second here can be termed PG-rated. The lesson on staying together as a family will appeal to many.

What does not work

The issue then lies here: the first half drags, the second half never grips, and the film can't figure out what to do with its seasoned cast. Meghna Malik barely registers, Gulshan Grover is not given much screen time, and Sanjay Mishra’s presence feels like an afterthought.

Heer Express runs on clichés and endless smiles but never on substance. By the end, you are left craving the spice the title promised but the film refused to serve. Divita Juneja, in her debut, has screen presence but struggles to emote beyond cheerfulness. In the emotional sequences, especially during a key revelation, she falls short, blunting whatever impact the moment could have had.

The only person worth watching in this setup is Ashutosh Rana, who works visibly hard to lift the material.

In the end, Heer Express is less of a journey and more of a tiresome detour. It wants to serve comfort food cinema but ends up offering reheated leftovers that neither satisfy nor surprise you much.