Movies like Maareesan
If you like "Maareesan" you are looking for road movie, emotional and reflective movies about / with deception, road trip, secrets, con artists, memory loss, trust and companionship themes of Comedy, Drama and Thriller genre shot in India.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
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Maareesan (2025)
9K
Original name: மாரீசன்
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 150 min.
Story:
A petty thief embarks on a road trip with an elderly man suffering from memory loss under deceptive pretenses. As they journey across Tamil Nadu, the promise of an easy con unravels into a quietly shifting connection, with both men hiding secrets of their own.
Style:
road movie, emotional, reflective, atmospheric, melancholic, suspenseful, intense, nostalgic
Plot:
deception, road trip, secrets, con artists, memory loss, trust, companionship, moral ambiguity, loneliness, friendship, aging, redemption, identity, intimate, slow burn, small town, pilgrimage, social commentary
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Most similar movies to Maareesan
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out melancholic, emotional, reflective and realistic films with plots about intimate, friendship, small town, slice of life, redemption, identity and slow burn mostly in Drama, Comedy and Thriller genres. Some movies like Maareesan: Orange Mittai (2015), Hudson (2019), Sawah (2019), Life Is Life (2025), Sunny (2021). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 102 min.
Story:
The journey of an old man and an EMT specialist in an ambulance becomes unexpectedly meaningful for both of them.
Style:
road movie, existential, emotional, melancholic, reflective ...
Plot:
character study, road trip, mortality, father son relationship, grief, aging, life & death, ambulance, reconciliation, redemption, bittersweet, slice of life ...
Similarity:
95%
285
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 75 min.
Story:
A man embarks on a trip with his estranged cousin Hudson to spread his late mother's ashes. They meet an unusual woman along the way and their simple road trip turns into a dysfunctional adventure.
Style:
road movie, psychological, captivating, thrilling, satirical ...
Plot:
grief, road trip, changing lives, lifestyle change, journey, satire, second chance, recluse, friendship, empathy, bittersweet, intimate ...
Similarity:
91%
2K
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: Luxembourg, Egypt
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
On his way to a DJ Championship in Brussels, a young Egyptian is mistaken for an illegal immigrant and detained in a country he's never heard of before.
Style:
captivating, thrilling, suspenseful, road movie, independent film ...
Plot:
dj, immigration, fish out of water, identity, problem, mistaken identity, social commentary, travel, electronic music, social realism, detention, comedy of errors ...
Place:
belgium, egypt
Similarity:
85%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
An elderly shepherd takes on big business when he becomes the only holdout against property developers building a luxury resort in his tiny Sardinian village.
Style:
emotional, poignant, reflective, melancholic, art house
Plot:
relationships, intimate, introspection, mediterranean, slice of life, small town, friendship, community, resilience, bittersweet, slow burn, coming of age ...
Place:
sardinia
Similarity:
78%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Four friends deemed 'losers' face immense pressure from parents and society upon entering adulthood. Their emotional tale sees them embark on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, where love ultimately triumphs over judgment.
Style:
emotional, heartfelt, uplifting, realistic, family saga ...
Plot:
coming of age, youth, friendship, self discovery, personal growth, identity, family drama, acceptance, adulthood, social commentary, male bonding, slice of life ...
Similarity:
77%
6K
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
The life of a failed musician, sunny takes a dramatic turn as he smuggles himself back from Dubai to Kerala in midst of a global pandemic and shuts himself from the society.
Style:
emotional, intense, melancholic, realistic, bleak ...
Plot:
pandemic, desperation, character study, survival, regret, redemption, isolation, homecoming, secrets, getting home, resilience, hopes ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
india, dubai
Similarity:
73%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Netherlands, Belgium
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
Jaap and Maartje have been together almost 50 years. Grumpy old Jaap is no longer terribly interested in doing much, but Maartje, despite her occasional confusion, is still keen to embrace everything life has to offer. When the couple receive a ...
Style:
heartfelt, romantic drama, emotional, reflective, melancholic ...
Plot:
journey, road trip, dementia, aging, elderly couple, marriage, memory, tenderness, bittersweet, nostalgia, long term relationship, companionship ...
Place:
spain
Similarity:
72%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 122 min.
Story:
An entertaining and light-hearted depiction of how a seemingly innocent game can unravel deep secrets and test the strength of friendship and relationships.
Style:
light hearted, feel good, emotional, tension, twisted ...
Plot:
friendship, revelation, secrets, relationships, trust, bonding, awkwardness, intimate, betrayal, dating, urban, coming of age ...
Similarity:
71%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
Pil-ju, an Alzheimer's patient in his 80s, who lost all his family during the Japanese colonial era, and devotes his lifelong revenge before his memories disappear, and a young man in his 20s who helps him.
Style:
psychological, captivating, suspenseful, emotional, heartfelt ...
Plot:
revenge, elderly man, japanese occupation of korea, memory loss, memories, problem, alzheimer's disease, murder, old man, loss of family, elderly, bereavement ...
Place:
korea
Similarity:
62%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Colombia, Germany, Sweden
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Middle-aged and erratic, Oscar is a failed writer who has given up on life. Unemployed and living with family, he wanders the streets of Medellín in a drunken stupor, lamenting the state of literature in his home country, where he has succumbed to ...
Style:
melancholic, emotional, existential
Plot:
character study, poetry, creativity, aging, intimate, obscurity, isolation, regret, mishap, slice of life, identity, obsession ...
Similarity:
59%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 74 min.
Story:
A struggling writer steals poems written by his mute friend to achieve fame and fortune.
Style:
independent film, emotional, melancholic, psychological, intense ...
Plot:
poetry, character study, betrayal, moral ambiguity, conscience, ethics, deception, guilt, ambition, tragedy, mute character, social commentary ...
Time:
year 1992
Similarity:
59%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 144 min.
Story:
Venkob Rao, a widower suffering from Alzheimer's disease, is moved to an old-age home by his son. When he goes missing one day, he crosses swords with criminals.
Style:
suspense, emotional, realistic, tense, crime thriller ...
Plot:
missing person, memory loss, father son relationship, family drama, compassion, social commentary, loneliness, social issues, loss, fatherhood, bonding, character study ...
Place:
kannada
Similarity:
57%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Anikkuttan is an ill-tempered electronics technician who leads a quiet life with his mother. His daily routines are disrupted when his next door neighbour's new born baby stirs up undesirable memories from his past. What will happen next?
Style:
thrilling, captivating, psychological, emotional, realistic ...
Plot:
mother son relationship, confronting the past, tragic past, troubled past, lifestyle change, life is a bitch, changing lives, memory, trauma, grief, character study, isolation ...
Place:
india
Similarity:
57%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Poland, Czech Republic
Duration: 74 min.
Story:
Dear Ones is an allegorical story about people who need to make real contact with their family and friends. Piotr is looking for a purpose and order in his life. To find it, he turns to magic, religion, and psychology. Unexpectedly, his father calls ...
Style:
emotional, reflective, allegory, melancholic, tense ...
Plot:
family drama, missing person, family secret, family reunited, sibling relationship, memory, family home, father son relationship, identity, intimate, reconciliation, homecoming ...
Similarity:
55%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 92 min.
Story:
Seven episodes, seven stories of women that make up a mosaic of a multifaceted reality.
Style:
anthology, reflective, emotional, contemplative, melancholic
Plot:
character study, introspection, identity, intimate, slice of life, relationships, modern life, gender roles, social realism, bittersweet, domestic drama, motherhood ...
Similarity:
53%
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Jack Weber, a post-doctoral student on Hindu Vedantic Doctrine, meets a prostitute Swetha and eventually develops feelings for her. They set out on a journey to Kasi. In a parallel story, Sambaiah, an old man, requests his son Sivananda to take him ...
Style:
romantic drama, road movie, emotional, melancholic, mystical ...
Plot:
spiritual journey, pilgrimage, redemption, introspection, moral ambiguity, forbidden love, reconciliation, family conflict, small town
Place:
india
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Comedy
Country: Italy
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Checco's life is a comfortable and luxurious one, and it couldn't be otherwise, considering he's the only son of Eugenio Zalone, a wealthy sofa manufacturer. Stranded by the pool in his luxurious villas, with an unspecified number of ...
Style:
poignant, emotional, reflective, road movie, suspense
Plot:
self discovery, pilgrimage, introspection, spiritual journey, identity, missing child, parenting, intimate, privilege, bittersweet, redemption, loss ...
Place:
spain, italy, rome italy
Similarity:
52%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 120 min.
Story:
Paul’s daughter Sherin is no more and her husband Allen has remarried. When he visits the new couple, who is also taking care of his grandson, a few doubts pop up in his mind, regarding his daughter’s death.
Style:
emotional, suspense, dramatic, tense, suspenseful ...
Plot:
family drama, relationships, family secret, father daughter relationship, loss, grief, remarry, suspicion, investigation, parenthood, mourning, slow burn ...
Similarity:
51%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min.
Story:
On a fateful night amidst the rugged Texan landscape, Charles(60s), a biker recovering from a painful divorce, crashes into a valley and there he encounters a mysterious little girl. What unfolds that night, sets Charles on an unexpected and ...
Style:
reflective, atmospheric, psychological, road movie, existential ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
self discovery, loneliness, redemption, motorcycle, soul searching, character study, second chance, slow burn, intimate, aging, valley
Place:
texas
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 154 min.
Story:
Bharath has lost everything since his childhood, including his family. Will his alter ego, Bhargava, help him or destroy him?
Style:
melancholic, bleak, emotional, psychological thriller, intense ...
Plot:
male protagonist, childhood trauma, alter ego, identity crisis, split personality, mental health, friendship, moral ambiguity, family tragedy, moral dilemma, survival, betrayal ...
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
A VHS collector with a drinking problem finds a valuable movie that could save his terrible economical situation. The film disappears. He suspects it is stolen and starts a hunt after a perpetrator.
Style:
emotional, melancholic, realistic, cult classic, art house
Plot:
alcoholism, nostalgia, loneliness, outsider, addiction, obsession, mother daughter relationship, redemption, eviction, second chance, intimate, personal growth ...
Time:
80s
Similarity:
48%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: Mexico
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
Three octogenarians set out on a trip in order to fulfill the dying wish of a lifelong friend, in spite of the disapproval of their families and the limitations of their advanced age. Along the way, they find themselves embroiled in a series of ...
Style:
life affirming, road movie, humorous, captivating, satirical ...
Plot:
road trip, friendship, elderly man, last wish, elderly, aging, satire, friends, wish fulfillment, desire, escapades, wish come true ...
Similarity:
47%
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
This is the story of two men from opposite ends of the spectrum of life, who somehow get inexplicably intertwined. The story happens over 24 hours, from the dawn of the eve of Bakrid to the dawn of Bakrid
Style:
realistic, reflective, melancholic, art house, tense ...
Plot:
character study, relationships, empathy, chance meeting, intimate, slice of life, festival, social commentary, coincidence, urban, identity, fate ...
Place:
india
Similarity:
47%
Movie in collections
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 167 min.
Story:
Friends is a 2001 Tamil movie starring Vijay, Surya, Ramesh Khanna, Devayani, Abhinyashree, Vijayalakshmi, Sriman and Vadivelu. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The film is a remake of the Malayalam film by the same name with actors Mukesh, ...
Style:
captivating, romantic, touching, emotional, bleak ...
Plot:
friendship, secret, unrequited love, betrayal by friend, love triangle, love, deception, friends falling out, male friendship, betrayal, best friend, dark past ...
Similarity:
45%
299
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story:
Dives into the often ignored seedy underbelly of Maine and it follows Emma Maddox as she returns to her hometown years following the mysterious death of her brother, Mikey. As she reconnects with his best friend Tommy, the two rekindle their flame ...
Style:
suspenseful, tense, captivating, psychological, thrilling ...
Plot:
redemption, revenge, small town, problem, bereavement, life is a bitch, lie, getting home, investigation, betrayal, friendship, coastal town ...
Place:
maine
Similarity:
45%
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 141 min.
Story:
Roy, a village boy who's a failure at studies, joins Christy's tuition. They become good friends, but later when Christy gets a job abroad, Roy's life changes
Style:
emotional, realistic, reflective, melancholic, intercultural
Plot:
friendship, slice of life, village life, coming of age, nostalgia, relationships, personal growth, longing, aspiration, bittersweet, education, separation ...
Similarity:
44%
173
Genre: Drama
Country: Cyprus, Israel, Slovenia
Duration: 87 min.
Story:
Chara’s family is everything to her, and yet she sometimes ponders a life without them. When she strikes up a hesitant friendship with a young girl, she is inexorably forced to confront a painful past and to answer a burning question: Is ...
Style:
emotional, melancholic, realistic, psychological, atmospheric ...
Plot:
motherhood, domestic drama, character study, identity, female protagonist, gender roles, intimate, realism, family secret, trauma, friendship, intimacy ...
Similarity:
44%
Genre: Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Thomas Wintersperger, a man who has to learn to deal with his grief, sees his loss as an opportunity to reorganize his life.
Style:
emotional, melancholic, reflective, realistic, atmospheric
Plot:
family drama, bereavement, grief, cathartic, resilience, memorial service, small town, intimate, starting over, harbor, friendship, provincial life ...
Place:
east germany
Similarity:
43%
2K
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: India
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
An 11-year-old boy struggles to cope with the death of his father while trying to make new friends in an unfamiliar place, after his mother gets a job transfer.
Style:
sincere, disturbing, psychological, captivating, emotional ...
Plot:
friendship, child, mother son relationship, childhood, grief, child protagonist, loss, coming of age, adolescence, grownups, friends, teenage life ...
Similarity:
42%
100
Genre: Drama
Country: Croatia
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
Joža was wounded in combat during the events of the Croatian War of Independance and now works as a taxi driver in Zagreb, encountering various clients, all of which help him to cope with his past, and reveal to him what it truly means to be human.
Style:
emotional, reflective, poignant, melancholic, anthology
Plot:
taxi driver, loneliness, humanity, war veteran, wounded soldier, empathy, intimate, slice of life, character study, passenger, healing, identity ...
Place:
croatia
Similarity:
42%
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