Movies like Chanakyathanthram (2018)
The best movies like Chanakyathanthram (2018) are Chief of Station (2024), Black Widow (1987) and The Glass Key (1942). If Chanakyathanthram hooked you with its thriller, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedPickup on South Street (1953)7.4/10 from 341 votes
- NewestOscar Shaw (2026)Released 2026
- In MalayalamAnjaam Pathiraa (2020)Also in Malayalam
Chief of Station (2024)
After learning that the death of his wife was not an accident, a former CIA Station Chief is forced back into the espionage underworld, teaming up with an adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Widow (1987)
Federal agent Alexandra Barnes believes that Catherine Petersen is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Glass Key (1942)
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnjaam Pathiraa (2020)
A psychologist with a keen interest in criminology gets entangled in a tough serial killer case which the police find hard to crack.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
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 · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Name on the Bullet (1959)
When hired killer John Gant rides into Lordsburg, the town's folk become paranoid as each leading citizen has enemies capable of using the services of a professional killer for personal revenge.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe MacKintosh Man (1973)
A member of British Intelligence assumes a fictitious criminal identity and allows himself to be caught, imprisoned, and freed in order to infiltrate a spy organization and expose a traitor; only, someone finds him out and exposes him to the gang...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisConflict (1945)
Unhappily married Richard Mason concocts a meticulous scheme to kill his shrewish wife so that he'll be free to marry her sister.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Dark Mirror (1946)
A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies 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
SnoozefestMovies like thisOscar Shaw (2026)
After retiring from the police force, a relentless detective haunted by the tragic loss of his closest friend sets out on a perilous quest for vengeance, seeking redemption and fighting to restore justice to the streets he once swore to protect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRorschach (2022)
When Luke Antony's wife goes missing, he sets off to search for her and stumbles upon the Balan family. However, terrorising events start occurring as Luke grows closer to them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPickup on South Street (1953)
In New York City, an insolent pickpocket, Skip McCoy, inadvertently sets off a chain of events when he targets ex-prostitute Candy and steals her wallet. Unaware that she has been making deliveries of highly classified information to the communists, Candy, who has been trailed by FBI agents for months in hopes of nabbing the spy ringleader, is sent by her ex-boyfriend, Joey, to find Skip and retrieve the valuable microfilm he now holds.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mechanic (1972)
Arthur Bishop is a veteran hit man who, owing to his penchant for making his targets' deaths seem like accidents, thinks himself an artist. It's made him very rich, but as he hits middle age, he's so depressed and lonely that he takes on one of his victim's sons, Steve McKenna, as his apprentice. Arthur puts him through a rigorous training period and brings him on several hits. As Steven improves, Arthur worries that he'll discover who killed his father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Night Stalker (1972)
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAyyappanum Koshiyum (2020)
Ayyappan, a police officer, is an upright man who always strives to do the right thing. However, things change when a retired army havildar, Koshy, settles in his village and the two egos clash.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisForensic (2020)
A forensic analyst and an investigation officer are on a chase to hunt down a gruesome serial killer and crack one of the most famous cold cases in the history of their departments.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKurup (2021)
The Film is based on the infamous 'Charlie Murder Case' in the Indian State of Kerala where the main culprit Sukumara Kurup has been on the run for decades and is still not been caught. The story revolves around the perspective of Sukumara Kurup and the Police officers who were investigating the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Man Who Cheated Himself (1950)
A veteran homicide detective who has witnessed his socialite girlfriend kill her husband sees his inexperienced brother assigned to the case.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMr. Fraud (2014)
Bhai Ji is a high-tech robber who changes his looks frequently. Disguised as jewelry experts, he and his team members hatch a plan to steal precious jewelry from a palace in Kerala.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Kammara Sambhavam (2018)
Set against the backdrop of World War 2, the film spans over three different phases of the life of the protagonist Kammaran who gets inspired by freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose and joins INA to secure Indian independence from British rule.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017)
Prasad and Sreeja are a couple planning to set up a new life in Kasargod. On a bus journey they end up being robbed by a thief also named Prasad and this lands them up in a police station.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSolo (2017)
An experimental romantic thriller, Solo is the story of four different men, their love, rage and afterlife. Through four elements - water, air, fire and earth, they also represent different facets of Lord Siva.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCochin Express (1967)
Rajan, a police officer, is in charge of the investigation regarding a murder that took place on a train. He tries by hook or by crook to find the culprit as he has only one witness.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Ms. Lekha Tharoor Kaanunnathu (2013)
Lekha Tharoor is an intelligent woman with a breadth of knowledge about everything who anchors a popular TV show of her own. She was blinded at a young age in an accident involving firecrackers. She gets her sight back after getting a transplant. However post the operation she starts getting strange visions which unfortunately makes the people around her think that she lost her mind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
1 by Two (2014)
Hari and Ravi are identical twins who share a very delicate and special emotional bond. When Hari dies in an accident, Ravi goes into a strange state of psychosis. Yousuf, a cop tries to uncover the mystery involved in the case.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Achayans (2017)
Three cousins and their best friend leave for a road trip, hoping for one final hurrah before one of them gets married. Their path crosses with that of two girls who are on a getaway of their own. Their plans are derailed after a suspicious death. Who was the killer and why forms the plot.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Ira (2018)
Aryan's life turns on its head after he is falsely accused of committing a murder. Fortunately, he soon finds a friend in Rajeev, the investigating officer, who helps him prove his innocence.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Angels (2014)
Hameem Haider is a police officer who meets with an accident while investigating a series of murders and is forced to take a break from his duties. Years later the unsolved murders are picked up by a reality TV show.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Like Chanakyathanthram and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Chanakyathanthram?
The closest matches to Chanakyathanthram are Chief of Station (2024), Black Widow (1987) and The Glass Key (1942). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Chanakyathanthram?
Start with Chief of Station (2024), the closest match to Chanakyathanthram.
What is the highest-rated movie like Chanakyathanthram?
Pickup on South Street (1953), rated 7.4/10 by 341 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Chanakyathanthram?
Oscar Shaw (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Malayalam movies like Chanakyathanthram?
Yes: Anjaam Pathiraa (2020), Rorschach (2022) and Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020).
How are movies similar to Chanakyathanthram chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Chanakyathanthram, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.