Movies like Dil Chahta Hai (2001)
The best movies like Dil Chahta Hai (2001) are Not Easily Broken (2009), Purple Hearts (2022) and Nine Lives (2005). If Dil Chahta Hai 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 ratedPurple Hearts (2022)8.0/10 from 2,977 votes
- NewestEleanor the Great (2025)Released 2025
- In HindiRaincoat (2004)Also in Hindi
Not Easily Broken (2009)
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPurple Hearts (2022)
An aspiring musician agrees to a marriage of convenience with a soon-to-deploy Marine, but a tragedy soon turns their fake relationship all too real.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisNine Lives (2005)
Captives of the very relationships that define and sustain them, nine women resiliently meet the travails and disappointments of life.
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 thisLove Everlasting (2016)
Bridger is a young outsider who's always wanted more. He and his mother flee an abusive home, eventually finding a small town in the middle of nowhere. Once there, Bridger finds true acceptance with another misfit.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)
Clare and Aidan make a pact to break up before college — no regrets, no broken hearts. But will one epic goodbye date offer them a last chance at love?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCircle of Friends (1995)
Three girlhood friends now at college share first loves, first kisses and first betrayals. At the center of it all is the best-looking boy on campus. Can a self-conscious dreamer hook the biggest fish in the pond?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisI'm in Love with a Church Girl (2013)
Miles Montego has it all - cars, boats, good looks, mansion, money, women, but more importantly, he has a past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisRaincoat (2004)
Tells the story of two lovers, separated by destiny, who meet again one day. This encounter allows each to realize the truth about the lives they are living.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlind (2017)
A novelist is blinded in a car crash that killed his wife and several years later rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man from Elysian Fields (2001)
A failed novelist's inability to pay the bills strains relations with his wife and leads him to work at an escort service, where he becomes entwined with a wealthy woman whose husband is a successful writer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisBreathe (2017)
Based on the true story of Robin, a handsome, brilliant and adventurous man whose life takes a dramatic turn when polio leaves him paralyzed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMoonlight Mile (2002)
As he copes with the death of his fiancee along with her parents, a young man must figure out what he wants out of life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSir (2018)
A prosperous young Indian man falls in love with his servant, a widow with the dream of becoming a fashion designer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisUntamed Heart (1993)
Caroline, a young waitress who seems to have bad taste in men, is on her way home one night when thugs attempt to rape her. Adam, the mysterious busboy who works at the same diner, helps fight off the assailants, and she begins a relationship with him -- but not all their fellow Minnesotans are happy for them. Meanwhile, the couple face their own difficulties when Caroline finds about Adam's past, including his unique health condition.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisForever First Love (2020)
Paul travels the world to capture the perfect photographic moment. Amid the colour and chaos of a crowded Filipino market, destiny intervenes when Paul’s first love, Anna appears in his lens. The travellers spend the day exploring the beauty of a 16th century town and whilst passions reignite, their principles on relationships, religion and morality clash. The night they spend together will change everything.
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 thisMy Dinner with Hervé (2018)
An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEleanor the Great (2025)
94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein tries to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. As a result, she moves back to New York City after living in Florida for decades.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLove 86 (1986)
Laxmi Devi is a strict mother having two daughters named Leena and Isha. She wants them to get married in a prosperous and rich family with two brothers so that they can be together for life. But two orphaned boys named Omi and Vikram Doshi who are thieves by profession, fall for these two sisters. Now Laxmi Devi wants to control the fate of her daughters but can she do this?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Heyy Babyy (2007)
Three womanisers find a baby left at their doorstep. Chaos ensues as they try to contact their former girlfriends to determine who is the father amongst them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisDillagi (1999)
Two brothers -- Ranvir and Rajvir along with their parents move to Mumbai. They endure numerous hardships, but their will to survive prevails and they succeed. Soon, their parents pass away, leaving young Rajvir in the care of Ranvir. Now wealthy beyond any means, Ranvir runs the business and Rajvir lives recklessly. When Rajvir falls in love, Ranvir arranges his marriage, but to his dismay finds out that he has arranged his brother to marry the girl he loves.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De... (2010)
From the moment Rashi (Manisha Koirala) decides not to get on a train home from her job, her life turns in a new direction. But what about what could have been if she did board that train? This drama about destiny and life's turns traces Rashi's parallel lives. Her current beau (Moammar Rana) may not be her true love, as she's about to find out -- or &NFi;not&NFi_; find out. Partho Ghosh (Mr. Hot Mr. Kool) directs.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Sanam (1951)
An honest but unemployed young man, Yogen, falls for the wealthy, independent Sadhana after a chance encounter, but his desperate circumstances lead to a crime tried by Sadhana's own father, the prosecutor, creating a profound social and legal barrier to their love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Street Dancer 3D (2020)
Two rival dance groups from India and Pakistan who are always competing against each other, join forces when it comes to competing at an international dance competition.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEmperor Shivaji (1952)
The film chronicles the ascent of Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior who fought for liberty from the erstwhile Muslim rulers in order to establish a secular Hindu kingdom.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Santosh (2024)
A government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her husband’s job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKal Hamara Hai (1959)
Kal Hamara Hai is a 1959 Indian Hindi film, directed by S.K. Prabhakar and produced by K. Amarnath. The film stars Madhubala, Bharat Bhushan, and Jayant in lead roles. The film has a musical score by Chitra Gupta.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Dil Chahta Hai and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Dil Chahta Hai?
The closest matches to Dil Chahta Hai are Not Easily Broken (2009), Purple Hearts (2022) and Nine Lives (2005). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Dil Chahta Hai?
Start with Not Easily Broken (2009), the closest match to Dil Chahta Hai.
What is the highest-rated movie like Dil Chahta Hai?
Purple Hearts (2022), rated 8.0/10 by 2,977 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Dil Chahta Hai?
Eleanor the Great (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Hindi movies like Dil Chahta Hai?
Yes: Raincoat (2004), Sir (2018) and Love 86 (1986).
How are movies similar to Dil Chahta Hai chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Dil Chahta Hai, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.