Movies like Polladhavan (2007)
The best movies like Polladhavan (2007) are Padayappa (1999), Darbar (2020) and The Black Pirate (1926). If Polladhavan 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 ratedTrue Grit (1969)7.3/10 from 901 votes
- NewestOscar Shaw (2026)Released 2026
- In TamilPadayappa (1999)Also in Tamil
Padayappa (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 thisDarbar (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 thisThe Black Pirate (1926)
A nobleman vows to avenge the death of his father by the hands of pirates. To this end, he infiltrates the pirate band; Acting in character, he single-handedly captures a merchant vessel, but things are complicated when he finds that there is a beautiful young woman of royal blood aboard.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSoorarai Pottru (2020)
Nedumaaran Rajangam "Maara" sets out to make the common man fly and in the process takes on the world's most capital intensive industry and several enemies who stand in his way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & action
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisViswasam (2019)
A village ruffian, who settles disputes in his native, takes on a big shot when he tries to sort out the rough patch in his marriage after several years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSingam (2010)
The story, set in the backdrop of Nallore, a small town in Thoothukudi District, revolves around Sub-Inspector Durai Singam, a brave and just policeman who serves in his hometown primarily to fulfill his father’s wish. Durai Singam settles every dispute in his town patiently with his words of wisdom and resorts to force only when the situation demands it. Kavya, a city girl who comes on vacation to Nallore, falls in love with Durai Singam. Erimalai, Durai Singam's bumbling colleague and friend, often accompanies him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action & drama
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 action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Truth About Emanuel (2013)
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFlicka (2006)
Katy McLaughlin desires to work on her family's mountainside horse ranch, although her father insists she finish boarding school. Katy finds a mustang in the hills near her ranch. The headstrong 16 year old then sets her mind to tame a mustang and prove to her father she can run the ranch. But when tragedy happens, it will take all the love and strength the family can muster to restore hope.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both 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
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 action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTrue Grit (1969)
The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy on a mission of 'justice', which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, 'Rooster' Cogburn because he has 'true grit', and a reputation of getting the job done.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBenji (2018)
Two school kids strike up a friendship with an orphaned puppy named Benji. When danger befalls them and they end up kidnapped by robbers who are in over their heads, Benji and his scruffy sidekick come to the rescue.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisKavan (2017)
A budding journalist passionate about ethical, noble, hard-hitting journalism understands the more flourishing ghetto of sensationalism & news fabrication that the Entertainment TV Channel he belongs to, thrives on. When caught in a dilemma of whether to hold for a while or rise in protest, a situation forces him to make a decision that puts him out of work but… there begins his work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTime Without Pity (1957)
Alec Graham is sentenced to death for the murder of his girlfriend Jennie, with whom he spent a weekend at the English country home of the parents of his friend Brian Stanford. Alec’s father, David Graham, a not-so-successful writer and alcoholic who has neglected his son in the past, flies in from Canada to visit his son on death row. David then goes on a quest to try and clear his son’s name while battling “the bottle.”
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBionicle 3: Web of Shadows (2005)
The Toa Metru return to their glorious city of Metru Nui to finally accomplish their mission, only to find the city in ruins, overrun by the dreaded Visorak horde. Captured by their new enemy and transformed into hideous Toa Hordika, our heroes must find a figure out of myth to be cured of their mutations and fulfill their destiny before the beast within overtakes them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both action
SnoozefestMovies like thisWhere the Red Fern Grows (2003)
Set in the Ozark Mountains during the Great Depression, Billy Coleman works hard and saves his earnings for 2 years to achieve his dream of buying two coonhound pups. He develops a new trust in God as he faces overwhelming challenges in adventure and tragedy roaming the river bottoms of Cherokee country with "Old Dan" and "Little Ann."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPlunder Road (1957)
A spectacular heist starts to unravel as the crooks take it on the lam.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 action
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuns of Banaras (2020)
In the process of getting back his beloved vehicle that gave him everything he needed, Guddu Shukla and his friends get into major trouble with the most dangerous criminals in Banaras.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Nakshatra Poratam (1993)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both action & drama
Fortune of Chance (2023)
After a long night out two lonely people awake in unfamiliar places on opposite ends of the same city. Their eventual meeting in a city park can only be described as good fortune.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Bike (1968)
A boy steals his neighbor's brand new bike with his friend. They go on a ride to the park, where the stolen bike is damaged. The boy is left to decide if he should tell the truth or protect his friend.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Witch. Revenge (2024)
The tale unfolds around an ancient witch from the Ukrainian town of Konotop, who long ago abandoned her extraordinary powers after falling in love with a mortal man. However, tragedy strikes when her beloved is brutally murdered by the russian soldiers as they occupy Konotop in February 2022. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, she reclaims her supernatural abilities, embarking on a blood-soaked quest to mete out justice to her fiancé's killers.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAchanum Makanum (1957)
Achanum Makanum is a 1957 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Vimalkumar. The film stars Prem Nazir and Kumari Thankam. The film had musical score by V. Dakshinamoorthy. It is the first movie of actor Jagathy Sreekumar.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cave Girl (1921)
Margot Sperry, who keeps house for her guardian, a professor who wants to revert to primitive modes of living, finds it difficult to find food in the winter wilderness and resorts to pilfering from the Bates's winter camp. Divvy, engaged to a girl he does not love, meets Margot on one of her raids and falls in love with her. Baptiste, a half-breed employed by the Bates family, is discharged for stealing and burns the camp, driving the family to refuge with Margot. Elsie, hoping to regain Divvy's affections, dresses in boyish clothes similar to Margot's. Joining forces with Baptiste, they capture Margot, and Baptiste takes her in a canoe downstream. Realizing her mistake, Elsie warns Divvy, who bests the half-breed and then rescues Margot from the falls. A lost film.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sonny (1922)
Two men who bear a striking resemblance to each befriend each other while stationed in France during WWI. One is fatally fatally wounded and requests makes a dying request to his doppelganger to take on his identity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tokunboh (1999)
A recent college grad fed up with experiencing racism flees to Nigeria where he doesn't find the paradise he hoped for but attempts to build a new life there anyway when he falls in love.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Polladhavan?
The closest matches to Polladhavan are Padayappa (1999), Darbar (2020) and The Black Pirate (1926). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Polladhavan?
Start with Padayappa (1999), the closest match to Polladhavan.
What is the highest-rated movie like Polladhavan?
True Grit (1969), rated 7.3/10 by 901 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Polladhavan?
Oscar Shaw (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Tamil movies like Polladhavan?
Yes: Padayappa (1999), Darbar (2020) and Soorarai Pottru (2020).
How are movies similar to Polladhavan chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Polladhavan, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.