Movies like Akbar Saleem Anarkali (1978)
The best movies like Akbar Saleem Anarkali (1978) are I Still Believe (2020), Mayerling (1968) and The Young Victoria (2009). If Akbar Saleem Anarkali hooked you with its drama and history, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedI Still Believe (2020)7.6/10 from 1,255 votes
- NewestA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)Released 2025
- In TeluguMajili (2019)Also in Telugu
I Still Believe (2020)
The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMayerling (1968)
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria clashes with his father, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, over implementing progressive policies for their country. Rudolf soon feels he is a man born at the wrong time in a country that doesn't realize the need for social reform. The Prince of Wales, later to become Britain's King Edward VII, provides comic relief. Rudolf finds refuge from a loveless marriage with Princess Stéphanie by taking a mistress, Baroness Maria Vetsera. Their untimely demise at Mayerling, the imperial family's hunting lodge, is cloaked in mystery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Young Victoria (2009)
As the only legitimate heir of England's King William, teenage Victoria gets caught up in the political machinations of her own family. Victoria's mother wants her to sign a regency order, while her Belgian uncle schemes to arrange a marriage between the future monarch and Prince Albert, the man who will become the love of her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFar from the Madding Crowd (1967)
Bathsheba Everdine, a willful and flirtatious young woman, unexpectedly inherits a large farm and becomes romantically involved with three widely divergent men.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDésirée (1954)
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding General Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh Strung Free Dance (2018)
Zander Raines, a dazzling and tempestuous young choreographer, gives the break of a lifetime to two hopeful artists when he casts a stunning contemporary dancer, Barlow, and innovative pianist, Charlie, in New York’s most-anticipated new Broadway show: Free Dance. But the move throws off the show’s delicate creative balance when Charlie falls hard for Barlow, while Zander embraces her as his muse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both music & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Glenn Miller Story (1954)
A vibrant tribute to one of America's legendary bandleaders, charting Glenn Miller's rise from obscurity and poverty to fame and wealth in the early 1940s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLoving You (1957)
Deliveryman Deke Rivers is discovered by publicist Glenda Markle and country-western musician Tex Warner who want to promote him to fame and fortune, giving him every break he deserves. Romantic complications arise as Susan, another singer in the group, offers him devoted admiration as Glenda leads him on with promises of a golden future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & music
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Lost Husband (2020)
Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)
A widow with three children hires a handyman to fix her house during a major storm. When not doing home repairs, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Magic of Ordinary Days (2005)
Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Brilliant Career (1979)
A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025)
Sarah and David are single strangers who meet at a mutual friend’s wedding and soon, through a surprising twist of fate, find themselves on a funny, fantastical, sweeping adventure together where they get to re-live important moments from their respective pasts, illuminating how they got to where they are in the present... and possibly getting a chance to alter their futures.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalome (1953)
In the reign of emperor Tiberius, Gallilean prophet John the Baptist preaches against King Herod and Queen Herodias. The latter wants John dead, but Herod fears to harm him due to a prophecy. Enter beautiful Princess Salome, Herod's long-absent stepdaughter. Herodias sees the king's dawning lust for Salome as her means of bending him to her will. But Salome and her lover Claudius are–contrary to Scripture–nearing conversion to the new religion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisNorthanger Abbey (2007)
A young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
In the 1930s, British officer John Truscott journeys to a remote village in colonial Malaysia to educate and Westernize the local Iban population. There, he's introduced to the lovely Selima. In keeping with tradition, Selima is assigned to sleep with Truscott and teach him the native language and customs. But when they fall in love, both colonists and natives object to their plans to marry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Rifleman (2023)
A WWII veteran escapes his care home in Northern Ireland and embarks on an arduous but inspirational journey to France to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, finding the courage to face the ghosts of his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & history
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMajili (2019)
Poorna fails to appreciate the blessings in his life due to his unfulfilled dream of a cricket career and a failed romance that changes him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJane Eyre (1997)
After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Edward Rochester. Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Can't Think Straight (2008)
Tala, a London-based Palestinian, is preparing for her elaborate Middle Eastern wedding when she meets Leyla, a young British Indian woman who is dating her best friend. Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship. But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made for her and escapes back to Jordan, while Leyla tries to move on with her new-found life, to the shock of her tradition-loving parents. As Tala's wedding day approaches, simmering tensions come to boiling point and the pressure mounts for Tala to be true to herself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTaj Mahal (1963)
Based on the historical legend, this commercially successful film delves into the context of why Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in fond remembrance of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
A sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a Mughal emperor and a Rajput princess.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & history
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Woman of the North (1999)
Young Dutch widow Emilie travels to a seaside resort in Italy, where she falls in love with Italian officer Aldo. Meanwhile, her deceased husband's assistant Hugo plans to propose to her as soon as the period of mourning is over.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
In the 16th century, when Prince Salim falls in love with a beautiful courtesan named Anarkali, Emperor Akbar's disapproval leads to a battle between father and son.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Heroic Ones (1970)
A Mogul king decides to take stealthy action to help overpower his greatest rivals. He chooses nine out thirteen of his loyal generals to embark on the mission. However, jealously amongst them sparks a treacherous family feud that could lead to catastrophic consequences for all involved.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Pawankhind (2022)
The historical rearguard last stand that took place on 13 July 1660 at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India between the Maratha Warrior Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Siddi Masud of Adilshah Sultanate, known as Battle of Pavan Khind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Maharani Yesubai (1954)
A film about Maharani Yesubai, the wife of King Sambhaji, a Marathi ruler who defied the Mughals.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Rudransh (TBA)
Rudransh is a historical drama that follows the legacy, valor, and unseen journey of a great Maratha king. The film blends research-based storytelling with emotion and cinematic vision to bring the spirit of the Maratha Empire to life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both history & drama
Razia Sultan (1983)
The film is based on the life of Razia Sultan (1205–1240), the only female Sultan of Delhi (1236–1240) and her speculated love affair with the Abyssinian slave, Jamal-ud-Din Yakut.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & history
Colossal Youth (2018)
When his dream girl returns to school a hopeless romantic teen tries to win her heart, until he hits rock bottom and realizes his true love has been there all along.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Akbar Saleem Anarkali?
The closest matches to Akbar Saleem Anarkali are I Still Believe (2020), Mayerling (1968) and The Young Victoria (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Akbar Saleem Anarkali?
Start with I Still Believe (2020), the closest match to Akbar Saleem Anarkali.
What is the highest-rated movie like Akbar Saleem Anarkali?
I Still Believe (2020), rated 7.6/10 by 1,255 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Akbar Saleem Anarkali?
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Telugu movies like Akbar Saleem Anarkali?
Yes: Majili (2019).
How are movies similar to Akbar Saleem Anarkali chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Akbar Saleem Anarkali, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.