Movies like Paayum Puli (2015)
The best movies like Paayum Puli (2015) are Darbar (2020), Each Dawn I Die (1939) and Yennai Arindhaal (2015). If Paayum Puli hooked you with its action and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedVikram Vedha (2017)7.2/10 from 249 votes
- NewestVanished (2025)Released 2025
- In TamilDarbar (2020)Also in Tamil
Darbar (2020)
Aaditya, the commissioner of Mumbai Police, sets out to catch Ajay, a drug peddler. However, he uncovers a deeper controversy linked to an international drug lord and must mete out justice.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisEach Dawn I Die (1939)
A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYennai Arindhaal (2015)
Sathyadev, who is on a career break, is forced to put on his cop shoes ones again to save Thenmozhi, a young woman who is the target of a criminal organ harvesting group, led by a ghost from his past.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Quiller Memorandum (1966)
After two British Secret Intelligence Service agents are murdered at the hands of a cryptic neo-Nazi group known as Phoenix, the suave agent Quiller is sent to Berlin to investigate.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThey Made Me a Fugitive (1947)
After being framed for a policeman's murder, a criminal escapes prison and sets out for revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKaakha Kaakha (2003)
After a police team kills his brother, a drug-dealing gangster vows to kill the entire team and their respective families.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIndemnity (2022)
An ex-fireman with PTSD goes on the run when accused of a crime he doesn't even remember committing, leading him down a rabbit hole of conspiracy to the highest degree.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVikram Vedha (2017)
A notorious gangster Vedha surrenders himself to encounter specialist Vikram whom he challenges every step of the way by narrating his life events in the form of riddles that needs to be solved in order to capture him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Unholy Three (1925)
Three sideshow performers form a conspiracy known as 'The Unholy Three' – a ventriloquist, midget, and strongman working together to commit a series of robberies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPadayappa (1999)
Padayappa, a mechanical engineer whose father gives up his property to his foster brother, and then dies of shock soon after. Neelambari initially loves Padayappa, but plans to humiliate him after his family humiliates her father. The rest of the plot deals with Padayappa overcoming all the obstacles placed by Neelambari.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAsuran (2019)
A family from the underprivileged class is on the run after the teenaged son kills a rich man from the upper caste. Can the pacifist father be able to save his hot-blooded son?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Penalty (1920)
Blizzard, deranged from a childhood operation in which both his legs were needlessly amputated after an accident, becomes a vicious criminal, and eventually mob leader of the San Francisco underworld.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThani Oruvan (2015)
An idealistic cop and an ambitious scientist-businessman indulge in a high-stake battle of wits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & action
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKabali (2016)
A gangster in Malaysia goes in search of his family after 25 years of imprisonment.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKaala (2018)
Karikaalan consistently fights to keep the people of Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, safe from the clutches of mighty politicians and the land mafia don, Hari Dhadha.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDSP (2022)
A flower seller's son ends up in a tussle with a ruthless rowdy in Dindigul, forcing him to become a policeman and fight the odds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRide in the Whirlwind (1966)
Three cowboys, mistaken for members of an outlaw gang, are relentlessly pursued by a posse.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTheri (2016)
When an honest cop, Vijay Kumar's family is ruthlessly slaughtered by a politician and his aides, he decides to change his identity and commits his life to bring his daughter up in a serene atmosphere. But some freak events end up compromising his identity and what he does to save his daughter and avenge the death of his family unfurls as Theri.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018)
A bloody power struggle erupts between three brothers who are vying to take over the family business following the death of their father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIslands (2025)
In this twisty thriller, a tennis coach at a tropical resort finds himself at the center of a missing persons mystery. Tom teaches tennis during the day and parties at night. When an enigmatic tourist arrives, Tom is unable to shake the feeling he has met her before. Tension and attraction grow, until her husband disappears, and the police suspect Tom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisProof of Life (2000)
When Peter Bowman, an American engineer working in a South American country, is captured by anti-government forces, the rebels learn his identity and demand $5 million for his safe return. However, his US employer is on the verge of insolvency and will not provide the ransom. Peter's wife Alice is forced to deal with the matter on her own and she retains the services of freelance professional hostage negotiator Terry Thorne.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJakarta (1988)
A CIA agent roams the streets of New York haunted by the death of the beautiful woman he fell in love with while on assignment in Jakarta. When he is kidnapped and drugged, the destination is Jakarta once again where he tries to unravel the mystery that is the city which broke him three years earlier.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & action
Ransom (1996)
When a rich man's son is kidnapped, he cooperates with the police at first but then tries a unique tactic against the criminals.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSeance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDance with the Devil (1997)
She's sexy, shameless and loves taking people to their limit. She's a dangerous young woman who dreams about a jaguar that licks her naked body and sleeps by her side. Her past is bathed in blood and weird passions. Now she's met the man of her wildest dreams. He's dark, tough and mysterious. He likes robbing banks, trafficking in corpses and spicing it all with voodoo rituals. Together, the duo sets off toward Mexico destined to become the most feared outlaws in the continent.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like this3000 Miles to Graceland (2001)
It was an ingenious enough plan: rob the Riviera Casino's count room during an Elvis impersonator convention. But Thomas Murphy decided to keep all the money for himself and shot all his partners, including recently-freed ex-con Michael Zane. With $3.2 million at stake, the Marshals Service closing in, Michael must track down Murphy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisVanished (2025)
A defense contractor's world shatters when his daughter is kidnapped for ransom. He launches into a desperate mission to save her and bring her home.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Executive Protection (2001)
After causing a commotion with his last assignment, Falk has been given a desk job, which hardly agrees with his personality, and he ends up accepting an offer from an old friend to buy into a private investigation agency. Another friend of Falk's, Sven, purchased a business in Estonia, and when local gangsters attempted to pressure him into paying protection money, Sven retained the services of Nikolaus Lehmann, a burly private eye, to throw them off his trail. However, Lehmann does his job all too well, murdering the racketeers, and then threatening Sven and his family. With no where else to turn, Sven asks Falk to help him deal with the crazed Lehmann; Falk agrees, but soon realizes he's dealing with a more dangerous man than he imagined when Lehmann kidnaps Falk's wife Jeanette, and then releases her with a time bomb locked around her neck, demanding that Falk hand over ownership of his detective agency to Lehmann.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Stranger Is Watching (1982)
A twisted man holds a TV newswoman and a girl hostage in the bowels of Grand Central Station.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Ride MT-274 (2017)
After a night out, Diana and Jorge decide to call a cab in order to get home. But in their way, the driver will receive a phone call that might take them into a life threatening situation.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Paayum Puli?
The closest matches to Paayum Puli are Darbar (2020), Each Dawn I Die (1939) and Yennai Arindhaal (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Paayum Puli?
Start with Darbar (2020), the closest match to Paayum Puli.
What is the highest-rated movie like Paayum Puli?
Vikram Vedha (2017), rated 7.2/10 by 249 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Paayum Puli?
Vanished (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Tamil movies like Paayum Puli?
Yes: Darbar (2020), Yennai Arindhaal (2015) and Kaakha Kaakha (2003).
How are movies similar to Paayum Puli chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Paayum Puli, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.