Movies like Mother India (1957)
The best movies like Mother India (1957) are Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Guide (1965) and Two Acres of Land (1953). If Mother India hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe World of Apu (1959)8.1/10 from 299 votes
- NewestOmaha (2025)Released 2025
- In HindiKaagaz Ke Phool (1959)Also in Hindi
Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
The film tells, in flashback, the story of Suresh Sinha, a famous film director and his relationship with an aspiring actress.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGuide (1965)
A tourist guide meets an unhappy married woman who wants to take up dancing. With his motivation, she becomes a successful dancer but success corrupts the man's mind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTwo Acres of Land (1953)
After falling for a cunning landlord’s scheme, a farmer (Balraj Sahni) and his young son (Ratan Kumar) travel to Calcutta in search of work to save money and reclaim their ancestral land.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Pather Panchali (1955)
Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPyaasa (1957)
Vijay, a destitute poet, searches for true love while attempting to get his work published. With the assistance of two women in his life, his dream comes true - but at a cost that causes Vijay to rethink his worldview.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAwaara (1951)
A petty thief is put on trial for the attempted murder of a lawyer. Through a series of flashbacks, the intertwining lives of the thief, the lawyer, and the thief's defense lawyer are illustrated.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTezaab (1988)
After his parents are killed, Mahesh's life is ruined as he gets imprisoned and separated from Mohini, who suffers due to her cruel father. Mahesh returns to save Mohini and settle old scores.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)
A debauchee Zamindar greatly neglects his wife. The decadence of the Bengali Zamindar milieu in the late 19th century, seen through the eyes of a young upward mobile rustic seeking fortune in Calcutta, fascinated by the lonely lady of the house.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Shree 420 (1955)
The story of a small-town man who comes to make it big in the city, where he is almost instantly relieved of all his possessions. Homeless and penniless, he is taken in by a woman who looks after him.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Big City (1963)
Arati takes a job as a door-to-door saleswoman in Calcutta's wealthy neighbourhoods, in defiance of her traditionally-minded husband, Subrata, and his live-in parents. Emulating her Anglo-Indian friend Edith, who speaks equal to the men she encounters on the job, Arati quickly becomes her firm's top salesperson. When Subrata loses his job, the power dynamic begins to shift.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe World of Apu (1959)
Apu, now a jobless ex-student dreaming vaguely of a future as a writer, is invited to join an old college friend on a trip up-country to a village wedding.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Music Room (1958)
An aging, decadent landlord’s passion for music becomes the undoing of his legacy as he sacrifices his wealth in order to compete with the opulent music room of his younger, richer neighbour.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Home and the World (1985)
In the early 1900s, Nikhilesh, a wealthy Westernized Hindu in colonial East Bengal, feels compelled to test the love of his wife, Bimala. He introduces her to his friend Sandip, a politician agitating against British rule, and Bimala is equally taken with both Sandip's anti-colonial fervor and the man himself. Personal and political tensions subsequently flare as the now assertive Bimala has to make a crucial decision.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Sadma (1983)
A head injury causes a woman to regress to childhood. Lost and confused, she is eventually befriended by a school teacher. A Hindi remake of the 1982 film "Moondram Pirai" by the same team.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Aparajito (1956)
Apu and his family have moved away from the country to live in the bustling holy city of Benares. As he progresses from wide-eyed child to intellectually curious teenager, eventually studying in Kolkata, we witness his academic and moral education, as well as the growing complexity of his relationship with his mother.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNeecha Nagar (1946)
Wealthy landlord Sarkar decides to direct all waste into the village to make space for his real estate project. However, the poor villagers agitate against his plan and the protest is led by Balraj.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Chess Players (1977)
In the year 1856, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the King of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British intend to control this rich land and send General Outram to clear way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political maneuvers, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either — noblemen Mir and Mirza ignore all duties and spend their days playing endless games of chess.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCharulata (1964)
In 1870s India, Charulata is an isolated, artistically inclined woman who sees little of her busy journalist husband, Bhupati. Realizing that his wife is alienated and unhappy, he convinces his cousin, Amal, to spend time with Charulata and nourish her creative impulses. Amal is a fledgling poet himself, and he and Charulata bond over their shared love of art.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cloud-Capped Star (1960)
A selfless young woman, the daughter of a middle-class refugee family from East Pakistan, sacrifices her own happiness for her unappreciative family.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMirch Masala (1987)
Early-1940s, rural British India. When a woman decides to fight against the village's despotic subedar and is supported by the guard of the local spice factory, more women join to defy the prevailing oppression.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Sparsh (1980)
An independent visually impaired man who runs a school for blind children deals with troubles and triumphs of his profession and finds love when a withdrawn recent widow volunteers at the school.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Sholay (1975)
After his family is slain by notorious bandit Gabbar Singh, former Inspector Thakur Baldev Singh enlists low-level outlaws Jai and Veeru to capture Gabbar and seek revenge.
Why it matches: Fans watch both
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnkur (1974)
In a small Indian village, a destitute woman's barren, alcoholic husband absconds after stealing toddy. Alone to fend for herself, she ends up relying on the affections of her landlord's to-be-married son who recently returned to look after the estate.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
The Blazing Sun (1954)
A wealthy landlord floods and destroys a village on purpose to prevent the people living there from making a profit off their crops. What he doesn't know is that his own daughter, Amal, is in love with Ahmed, a young man from the village.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPoor Cow (1967)
Joy lives a life filled with bad choices. At a young age, she marries and has a child–with an abusive thief who quickly ends up incarcerated. Left alone, she takes up with the guy's mate, another thief, who seems to give her some happiness but who also ends up locked up. She then takes up with a series of seedy types who offer nothing but momentary pleasure–if that.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLook Back in Anger (1959)
A disillusioned, angry university graduate comes to terms with his grudge against middle-class life and values.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOmaha (2025)
A young girl and her brother are awoken by their father and loaded into the car on an early morning in 2008. As they road trip across the American West, she discovers the truth about their seemingly spontaneous journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll Together Now (2020)
An optimistic, talented teen clings to a huge secret: she's homeless and living on a school bus. When tragedy strikes, can she learn to accept a helping hand?
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 this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Mother India?
The closest matches to Mother India are Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Guide (1965) and Two Acres of Land (1953). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Mother India?
People who watched Mother India most often go on to Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Guide (1965) and Two Acres of Land (1953).
What is the highest-rated movie like Mother India?
The World of Apu (1959), rated 8.1/10 by 299 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Mother India?
Omaha (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Hindi movies like Mother India?
Yes: Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Guide (1965) and Two Acres of Land (1953).
How are movies similar to Mother India chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Mother India, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.