Movies like Aatma Balam (1964)
The best movies like Aatma Balam (1964) are Rent-A-Pal (2020), Hi Nanna (2023) and Autumn Leaves (1956). If Aatma Balam hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Man Who Laughs (1928)7.4/10 from 234 votes
- NewestA Nice Indian Boy (2025)Released 2025
- In TeluguHi Nanna (2023)Also in Telugu
Rent-A-Pal (2020)
Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother. While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy, the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But Andy's friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHi Nanna (2023)
Six-year-old Mahi, a spirited child with cystic fibrosis, shares a deep yet complex bond with her father, Viraj, a dedicated single parent and successful fashion photographer. Her curiosity about her absent mother leads to a journey of discovery when she runs away with her loyal dog, Pluto. A chance encounter with a kind woman named Yashna sparks unexpected revelations, intertwining their lives in ways they never anticipated. Set against a backdrop of love, sacrifice, and redemption, Mahi’s story is a heartfelt exploration of family, resilience, and the enduring power of connection.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAutumn Leaves (1956)
A woman falls for a younger man with severe mental problems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBigger Than Life (1956)
A friendly, successful suburban teacher and father grows dangerously addicted to cortisone, resulting in his transformation into a household despot.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Man Who Laughs (1928)
When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisManiac (1963)
When a stranger enters a quiet, country town and is seduced by a sensuous married woman he unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a storm of sexual guilt and murder.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChatrapathi (2005)
Sivaji and his family are uprooted from their community in Sri Lanka and wind up as bonded labourers in Vishakhapatnam. Like his legendary namesake, he rises up to become the saviour of the oppressed.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLittle Lord Fauntleroy (1980)
Young Cedric Errol and his widowed mother live in genteel poverty in 1880s Brooklyn after the death of his father. Cedric's grandfather, the Earl of Dorincourt, has long ago disowned his son for marrying an American. But after the death of the Earl's remaining son, he decides to accept Cedric as his heir.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Believe (2019)
A 9 year old boy experiences God's power in a supernatural way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPeeping Tom (1960)
Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSpin (2021)
Rhea discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her. Her life revolves around her eclectic group of friends, her after-school coding club, her family’s Indian restaurant and her tight-knit, multigenerational family. Everything changes when she falls for aspiring DJ Max, and her long-lost fervor for music is re-ignited. Rhea discovers that she has a natural gift for creating beats and producing music but must find the courage to follow her true inner talent.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeware, My Lovely (1952)
A psychopath on the run takes a job as a handyman at the house of a lonely widow.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRace with the Devil (1975)
Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMoondance Alexander (2007)
Curiously named teen Moondance Alexander lives with her eccentric mother, and is faced with another uneventful summer until she discovers a lost pinto pony named Checkers. Although Moondance returns the horse to his rightful owner, the gruff and mysterious Dante Longpre, she is convinced that Checkers is a champion jumper in disguise and is determined to help him realize his full potential.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCelia (1989)
In 1950s Australia, young Celia is growing up with a sense of isolation and mistrust of the world that surrounds her. Her mother and father won't let her play with the kids next door because their parents are communists. Then her pet bunny is taken away because of rabbit overpopulation. And, more traumatizing yet, when her grandmother dies, she's the one to discover the corpse. To cope, she retreats into elaborate fantasies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMermaid Down (2019)
A mermaid is ripped from the ocean by a fishing crew only to be tortured and to have her tail cut off. A seemingly helpful stranger intervenes, but then locks her away in an institution for mentally disturbed young women, where no one believes she is a mermaid. With no way out, she is forced to count on her survival instincts, and fight for her life at all costs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpellbound (1945)
When Dr. Anthony Edwardes arrives at a Vermont mental hospital to replace the outgoing hospital director, Dr. Constance Peterson, a psychoanalyst, discovers Edwardes is actually an impostor. The man confesses that the real Dr. Edwardes is dead and fears he may have killed him, but cannot recall anything. Dr. Peterson, however is convinced his impostor is innocent of the man's murder, and joins him on a quest to unravel his amnesia through psychoanalysis.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Nice Indian Boy (2025)
When Naveen brings his fiancé Jay home to meet his traditional Indian family, they must contend with accepting his white-orphan-artist boyfriend and helping them plan the Indian wedding of their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAravinda Sametha... Veera Raghava (2018)
A young scion of a powerful family with a long history of violence decides to put an end to the bloodshed which leads him to a path of self discovery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClean, Shaven (1995)
Peter Winter is a young schizophrenic who is desperately trying to get his daughter back from her adoptive family. He attempts to function in a world that, for him, is filled with strange voices, electrical noise, disconcerting images, and jarringly sudden emotional shifts. During his quest, he runs afoul of the law and an ongoing murder investigation.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Aatma Balam?
The closest matches to Aatma Balam are Rent-A-Pal (2020), Hi Nanna (2023) and Autumn Leaves (1956). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Aatma Balam?
Start with Rent-A-Pal (2020), the closest match to Aatma Balam.
What is the highest-rated movie like Aatma Balam?
The Man Who Laughs (1928), rated 7.4/10 by 234 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Aatma Balam?
A Nice Indian Boy (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Telugu movies like Aatma Balam?
Yes: Hi Nanna (2023), Chatrapathi (2005) and Aravinda Sametha... Veera Raghava (2018).
How are movies similar to Aatma Balam chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Aatma Balam, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.