Movies like Dhola Maru (1983)
The best movies like Dhola Maru (1983) are The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020), Lovely, Still (2009) and Kitty Foyle (1940). If Dhola Maru hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Secret: Dare to Dream (2020)7.4/10 from 700 votes
- Newest31st (2024)Released 2024
The 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 thisLovely, Still (2009)
A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKitty Foyle (1940)
A hard-working, white-collar girl falls in love with a young socialite, but meets with his family's disapproval.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 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 thisFlamingo Road (1949)
A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPride and Prejudice (1940)
In early 19th century England, Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters vie for the affections of rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, who have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to eldest daughter Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with second-eldest Elizabeth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Valentine's Match (2020)
Fired from her job as a reality TV host, Natalie returns home for Valentine's Day, only to find herself running the town festival's auction with her ex-fiancé thanks to two scheming mothers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPeter Ibbetson (1935)
When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Finds You in Valentine (2016)
Kennedy Blaine, a Californian girl, inherits a ranch in the small town of Valentine in Nebraska. Before she sells the property, she decides to spend the summer in her house and learn more about her family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
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 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 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 thisStrangers When We Meet (1960)
A suburban architect loves his wife but is bored with his marriage and with his work, so he takes up with the neglected, married beauty who lives down the street.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDeparture (2016)
An English mother and her teenage son spend a week preparing the sale of their remote holiday house in the South of France. Fifteen-year-old Elliot struggles with his dawning sexuality and an increasing alienation from his mother, Beatrice. She in turn is confronted by the realisation that her marriage to his father, Philip, has grown loveless and the life she knows is coming to an end. When an enigmatic local teenager, Clément, quietly enters their lives, both mother and son are compelled to confront their desires and, finally, each other.
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 thisReturn to Peyton Place (1961)
Residents of the small town of Peyton Place aren't pleased when they realize they're the characters in local writer Allison MacKenzie's controversial first novel. A sequel to the hit 1957 film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisA Ring of Endless Light (2002)
When 15-year-old Vicky Austin, her sister Suzy and little brother Rob visit their grandfather on Seven Bay Island, Vicky faces several unexpected challenges. Her beloved grandfather, retired Reverend Eaton, seems to be seriously ill, but tries to pretend that nothing is wrong. Vicky met the rich but emotionally troubled Zachary Gray the previous summer, and he reappears to renew the acquaintance. Another boy, 17-year-old Adam Eddington, recruits Vicky to help him with a research project, working with a dolphin called Basil. Vicky discovers she can communicate telepathically with the dolphin and his mate - and possibly with Adam as well
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThey Won't Believe Me (1947)
On trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable sounding, sequence of events that led to her death.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVeer Mangdavalo (1996)
In a land of promises and spirits, Mangdavalo's vow binds him as a ghost, while Padmavati's world crumbles with arranged marriage. Their love defies even death, weaving a tale of magic and sacrifice in a heartwarming journey
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Bhadar Tara Vehata Paani (1976)
Ratan's father promises her hand in marriage to another man. However, she is affectionate towards Ram and thinks of him as her husband.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Meru Malan (1985)
A princess and a servant boy form an unlikely bond, but their love faces opposition from the king's concerns about social status. Through trials and perseverance, they strive to overcome obstacles and find a way to be together against all odds.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Manvini Bhavai (1993)
Manvini Bhavai is a Gujarati-language drama set during the famine of 1899–1900, following the tragic love story of Kalu and Raju as they struggle against social customs and starvation. Adapted from Pannalal Patel’s celebrated novel Manvini Bhavai, the film captures the resilience of rural life in the face of immense suffering.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDivaswapna (2021)
Divaswapna is a story of the journey of a village boy named Kanaji who achieved all his dreams with his courage, commitment and passion despite of many odds in his life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Seth Sagalsha (1975)
In rural Gujarat, Seth Sagalsha and his wife make a solemn vow to feed a sadhu before eating themselves. When Lord Vishnu tests their resolve, their dedication faces an unexpected challenge. A story of faith and sacrifice unfolds in this poignant short.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Gujarat 11 (2019)
Gujarat 11 is the story of an ex-football player, Divya, who takes up the challenge of training juvenile home boys for a state-level football tournament.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
31st (2024)
Kinjal becomes a victim of a brutal rape by her boyfriend on the 31st December. After facing injustice by the police force, she takes her own life. Her sister takes upon the legal battle to get her sister Justice. Will Kinjal get justice?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Shunya (TBA)
Anu, an innocent eleven year old girl who can not spend a day without her grandmother, and is told that she has gone to "God's House" upon her demise. Now she sets on a journey with a traveling folk group (Bhavai) to find God's house and get her grandmother back. It is a journey of understanding the illusion of life and the reality of death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Dhola Maru and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dhola Maru?
The closest matches to Dhola Maru are The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020), Lovely, Still (2009) and Kitty Foyle (1940). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dhola Maru?
Start with The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020), the closest match to Dhola Maru.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dhola Maru?
The Secret: Dare to Dream (2020), rated 7.4/10 by 700 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dhola Maru?
31st (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Dhola Maru chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dhola Maru, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.