Movies like Mullum Malarum

If you like "Mullum Malarum" you are looking for melancholic, nostalgic and cult film movies about / with brother sister relationship, village life, humanism, social realism, class conflict, tragedy and moral ambiguity themes of Drama, Family and Musical 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). 2. Look for them in the presented list.
Mullum Malarum (1978)
 8.2
 1K
Mullum Malarum (1978)
Original name: முள்ளும் மலரும்
Genre: Drama, Family, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 143 min.
Story: Mullum malarum (1978) wriiten for screen and directed by Mahandran, based on the novel of the same by Umachandran which was published in Kalki in the year of 1966. The movie deals with the brother sister relationship between Kaali and valli, Kaali's ego with the divisional engineer Kumaran.
Style: melancholic, nostalgic, cult film
Plot: brother sister relationship, village life, humanism, social realism, class conflict, tragedy, moral ambiguity, orphan, engineer, anger, drunkenness, unemployment, working class, guilt, fired from the job, power plant, marriage, troublemaker, bitterness, tamil, arm amputation, one armed man, fired from a job
Time: 70s
Place: india

Movie in categories

Most similar movies to Mullum Malarum

The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out emotional, melancholic, realistic and sentimental films with plots about social realism, tamil, family drama, slice of life, sacrifice, tragedy and redemption mostly in Drama, Family and Musical genres. Some movies like Mullum Malarum: Putulnacher Itikatha (2025), Annamalai (1992), Thanga Meenkal (2013), Nagara Haavu (1972), 16 Vayathinile (1977). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Putulnacher Itikatha (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 136 min.
Story: Shashi, an urbane doctor, returns to his native village, a place seemingly mired in a backward way of life, for a short visit. As he becomes closely involved with the villagers, Shashi’s short stay threatens to become permanent.
Style: art house, melancholic
Plot: village, social realism, identity crisis, humanism, alienation, homecoming, nostalgia, moral ambiguity, symbolism, ethical dilemma, class conflict, literary ...
Similarity:
95%
 7.7
 3K
Annamalai (1992)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 164 min.
Story: The film stars Rajinikanth, Kushboo and Sarath Babu in the lead roles with Radha Ravi, Nizhalgal Ravi and Manorama playing supporting roles. The film revolves around a poor milkman who befriends the son of the businessman. The latter's father ...
Style: dramatic, emotional, tear jerker, sentimental, family saga ...
Plot: friendship, rivalry, male bonding, loyalty, class struggle, conflict, betrayal, power struggle, family honor, village life, revenge, ambition ...
Similarity:
81%
Thanga Meenkal (2013)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 140 min.
Story: Kalyani, a poor labourer, strives hard to make a living and provide for Chellamma, his innocent eight-year-old daughter.
Style: tear jerker, social
Plot: poverty, family drama, sacrifice, father, father daughter relationship, struggle, realism, worker, social realism, family values, childhood, innocence ...
Similarity:
80%
 9.0
 1K
Nagara Haavu (1972)
Genre: Drama, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 184 min.
Story: This is the tale of an angry young man with flavours of Teacher-student relationship, the stubbornness of Ramachari (protagonist) and his attempts at having a romantic relationship.
Style: tragic ending, cult classic, period piece
Plot: teacher student relationship, forbidden love, tragic romance, unrequited love, revenge, romantic obsession, family drama, moral ambiguity, social injustice, love triangle, social realism, class conflict ...
Place: kannada
Similarity:
79%
Movie in collections
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16 Vayathinile (1977)
Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 139 min.
Story: 16 Vayathinile is a Tamil feature film directed by Bharathiraja.The film stars Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Rajinikanth. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The film marked Bharathiraja's debut as a film ...
Style: romantic drama, feel good
Audience: teens, teen drama, adult
Plot: young love, village, teenager, coming of age, love triangle, social realism, unrequited love, innocence lost, sexploitation, abandonment, obstacle, disability ...
Time: 70s
Place: india
Similarity:
71%
Anbulla Rajinikanth (1984)
Genre: Action, Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 138 min.
Story: Anbulla Rajinikanth
Style: tear jerker, inspirational, emotional, sentimental
Plot: orphanage, child protagonist, compassion, disability, celebrity, fan culture, empathy, heartwarming, personal growth, healing, redemption, acceptance ...
Time: 80s
Place: india
Similarity:
67%
Thappu Thalangal (1978)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 131 min.
Story: Thappu Thalangal is a saga of emotional and selfish world of human feelings. Devu, a local thug whose weapon of choice is a bicycle chain he sports casually around the neck. On one of his nightly rounds, Devu is pursued by a cop and seeks refuge at ...
Style: emotional, bleak, intense, period piece
Plot: redemption, societal hypocrisy, social realism, tragedy, prostitution, moral dilemma, gangster, sacrifice, regret, star crossed lovers, loss, forbidden love ...
Time: 70s
Similarity:
65%
 8.0
 1K
Em Magan (2006)
Genre: Drama, Family, Musical, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 154 min.
Story: Emtan runs a provision shop in a village. His son Krishna who is a student of poultry science, helps him in the shop. A strict father Emtan is always at his son's back. His strict ways of dealing his son leaves an uncomfortable scene in the ...
Style: emotional, captivating, disturbing, psychological, heartfelt ...
Audience: adult
Plot: family life, family relations, family problems, father son relationship, father son conflict, strict father, family drama, village life, abusive father, father and son, lifestyle, relationship problems ...
Place: india
Similarity:
54%
Movie in collections
Madras Matinee (2025)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 135 min.
Story: An aging sci-fi writer is challenged by his caretaker to write about the life of a common man. Reluctantly, he begins the story of Kannan, an auto rickshaw driver, and his family—only to discover that ordinary life holds unexpected depth and drama.
Style: contemplative, reflective, poignant, emotional, melancholic
Plot: slice of life, humanism, working class, resilience, realism, domestic drama, sacrifice, bittersweet, creative block, tamil
Similarity:
52%
 4.9
 1K
Kuselan (2008)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 165 min.
Story: Balakrishnan and Ashok are two childhood friends who lose touch with each other. One of them goes on to become a national figure and the other, a village barber.
Style: captivating, disturbing, heartfelt, emotional, sentimental
Audience: family outing
Plot: friendship, childhood friend, movie star, barber, village life, hairdresser, rich and poor, friends, lifestyle, actor, family drama, sacrifice ...
Similarity:
51%
 7.4
 222
Avargal (1977)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 167 min.
Story: A triangular love story, it revolves around Anu (Sujatha) who is caught between Bharani (Ravikumar), the man she fell in love with and Ramanathan (Rajinikanth), her former sadistic husband who is supposedly reformed and wants to rejoin her and ...
Style: melancholic, period drama
Plot: love triangle, divorce, single mother, female protagonist, family drama, feminist, jealousy, family conflict, psychological abuse, domestic abuse, jealous husband, betrayal ...
Time: 70s
Place: bombay india
Similarity:
51%
 7.9
 523
The Saviour (1992)
Genre: Drama, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 173 min.
Story: Aapadbandhavudu is a 1992 Telugu film. It was the third collaboration between actor Chiranjeevi and director K. Viswanath after Shubhalekha and Swayamkrushi. The movie won critical acclaim, especially for Chiranjeevi, who received the Nandi Award ...
Style: romantic drama, tear jerker
Plot: class differences, mental institution, sacrifice, loyalty, tragedy, domestic drama, forbidden romance, family drama, redemption, empathy, rescue mission, class conflict ...
Similarity:
50%
 7.5
 284
Poo (2008)
Genre: Drama, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 109 min.
Story: Maari, a young village girl, is madly in love with Thangarasu, her cousin. She sacrifices her love in the hope that he will lead a happy life being married to a wealthy girl.
Style: romantic drama, emotional, heartfelt, heartbreaking, sincere ...
Plot: sacrifice, unrequited love, family relations, female protagonist, selflessness, loyalty, longing, sad ending, melancholy, tragic love, poverty, regret ...
Similarity:
47%
 7.4
 1K
Projapati (2022)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 142 min.
Story: A retired 65-year widower, Gaur Chakraborty, lives with his son, Joy, a wedding planner running his own business. Joy has a very busy schedule. Gaur wishes to be married. Will he be successful?
Style: heartfelt, emotional, reflective, melancholic
Plot: elderly man, family drama, empathy, slice of life, loneliness, second chance, wedding planner, intimate, social realism, small town, marriage, widower ...
Time: 2020s
Similarity:
47%
 7.1
 1K
Rail (2024)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 127 min.
Story: In a rapidly urbanizing village, Muthiah, an electrician turned habitual drinker, struggles with his marriage and work. His hatred for North Indian workers leads to conflict with his neighbor, Sunil. Tragedy, guilt, and kindness ultimately transform ...
Style: realistic, melancholic, tense
Plot: village, social realism, family drama, humanity, loss, prejudice, redemption, tragedy, guilt, moral dilemma, empathy, slice of life ...
Similarity:
46%
 6.6
 45
Last Desk (1976)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: Hungary
Duration: 57 min.
Story: A story about a gipsy girl Kati who moves from Hungarian province to Budapest and starts going to school.
Style: melancholic
Plot: discrimination, children, racial prejudice, social realism, school, migration, city life, humanism, coming of age, class conflict, empathy, poverty ...
Place: budapest, rome italy
Similarity:
42%
 7.7
 2K
Olappeeppi (2016)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 121 min.
Story: Olappeeppi portrays the story of an ordinary Malayali family and the changes in the socio-economic scene in Kerala from 1970's to the 2000's . As the name suggests, its about colours of the past, taking us to that era along with a boy ...
Style: realistic, emotional, period piece, reflective, sentimental ...
Audience: adult
Plot: memory, childhood, family drama, family bonds, social change, empathy, intimate, slice of life, community, humanist, village life, coming of age ...
Time: 70s, 90s, 80s, 2000s
Similarity:
40%
Aval Appadithan (1978)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 114 min.
Story: Aval Appadithan (English: "That's How She Is") is a Tamil film is directed by C. Rudhraiya. It starred Sripriya, Kamal Hassan and Rajnikanth, with Ilayaraja as music director. The film was noted for its very stylized film making and ...
Style: melancholic, period piece, documentary filmmaking
Audience: adult
Plot: feminist, female protagonist, societal hypocrisy, male chauvinism, women's rights, independent woman, social realism, heartbreak, slice of life, victimization, city life, empathy ...
Place: india
Similarity:
40%
Movie in collections
 7.4
 368
Half Ticket (2016)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 112 min.
Story: A story of the 'Have Nots' struggling to survive in a world of 'Haves'.
Style: captivating, disturbing, sincere, realistic, touching ...
Audience: family outing
Plot: poverty, desire, aspiration, extortion, inequality, social realism, social commentary, slum, pizza, ambition, direction and purpose, social problems ...
Similarity:
39%
 5.7
 465
Lady Caliph (1970)
Genre: Drama
Country: France, Italy
Duration: 96 min.
Story: La Califfa's husband was killed during the strikes so she takes the side of the strikers. Her conflict with the plant owner Doverdo gradually turns into a love relationship.
Style: period piece, political drama
Plot: labor strike, factory, class conflict, social realism, social justice, character study, ethical dilemma, moral ambiguity, tragedy, political corruption, passion, erotica ...
Place: italy
Similarity:
39%
 8.5
 2K
Friendship (1964)
Genre: Drama, Family, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 163 min.
Story: Mr. Gupta passes away after an accident while on duty, leaving behind his ailing wife and school-going son, Ramnath. Both await for some compensation, and when they are informed that the company does not accept liability for Gupta's death, his ...
Style: black and white, serious, realistic, emotional, sentimental
Plot: blindness, blind man, orphan, friendship, blind character, friendship between men, compassion, homelessness, cripple, beggar, friends, disability ...
Time: 60s, 20th century
Place: asia, india
Similarity:
38%
 7.4
 632
Padikkadavan (1985)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 129 min.
Story: Overview Coming Soon...
Style: emotional, sentimental
Plot: family drama, brothers, brotherhood, legal battle, courtroom drama, sibling rivalry, wrongful accusation, betrayal, redemption, acquittal, social injustice, crime and punishment ...
Similarity:
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No Worries (1993)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: Australia, UK
Duration: 92 min.
Story: A family is forced off their farm due to drought, and move to Sydney.
Style: realistic, heartfelt, emotional, melancholic, independent film
Plot: drought, family drama, family bonds, village life, survival, poverty, parent child relationship, adaptation, resilience, working class, social commentary, social realism ...
Place: sydney australia
Similarity:
37%
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Deiva Thirumagal (2011)
Genre: Drama, Family, Musical
Country: India
Duration: 166 min.
Story: A mentally retarded man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter, and in the process teaches his opponent lawyer the value of love and family.
Style: psychological, captivating, disturbing, suspenseful, suspense ...
Plot: handicapped, courtroom drama, father daughter relationship, mental illness, lawyer, mental retardation, court, child custody, disability, social problems, family relations, life is a bitch ...
Place: india
Similarity:
36%
 7.3
 1K
Subarnarekha (1965)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 143 min.
Story: Made in 1962 (but not released until 1965), Bengali director Ritwik Ghatak’s film starts soon after the 1947 partition of Bengal. At a socialist refugee colony, Ishwar and his younger sister, Sita, adopt a low-caste boy, Abhiram, who has been ...
Style: bleak, poignant, melancholic, grim, intense ...
Plot: refugee, class conflict, moral dilemma, integrity, realism, family drama, sacrifice, betrayal, industrialization, honor, orphan, humanism ...
Time: year 1965, 60s
Place: kolkata
Similarity:
36%
 7.1
 189
Dockers (1999)
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min.
Story: Jimmy McGovern's depiction of the mid 90s Liverpool dockers strike. Featuring script contributions from Irvine Welsh and the real dockers themselves
Style: political drama
Audience: adult
Plot: working class, social realism, labor strike, father son relationship, social commentary, unemployment, solidarity, class conflict, anger, suffering, family relations, dispute ...
Time: 90s
Place: liverpool, britain
Similarity:
35%
 7.0
 6K
House Owner (2019)
Genre: Drama
Country: India
Duration: 109 min.
Story: An elderly couple, a house wife and a retired army man, go through some unanticipated moments during a rainy season in Chennai.
Style: emotional, realistic, melancholic
Plot: aging, elderly, memory loss, empathy, domestic drama, house, marriage, slice of life, intimate, humanity, tenderness, loss ...
Similarity:
35%
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Balagam (2023)
Genre: Drama, Family
Country: India
Duration: 131 min.
Story: A boisterous, bawdy, meddling village patriarch Komurayya’s death just before the engagement changes the course of his grandson Saayilu's life and the other family members, rattling some skeletons in the closet, exposing the rifts present ...
Style: psychological, captivating, thrilling, black comedy
Plot: family relations, family conflict, relationships, problem, countryside, eccentric family, changing lives, villager, lifestyle change, relationship problems, village life, kids and family ...
Place: india
Similarity:
34%
7G Rainbow Colony (2004)
Genre: Drama, Musical, Romance
Country: India
Duration: 186 min.
Story: Kathir is a young underachiever who frequently vents his frustrations through public outbursts. When Anitha, a North Indian girl whose family has fallen on hard times, moves into his housing colony, he soon decides to pursue her with his love, but ...
Style: tragic ending, serious, romantic drama, dramatic, emotional ...
Audience: date night
Plot: tragic love, unrequited love, love affair, loneliness, parents and children, father son relationship, coming of age, youth, obsession, passion, working class, anger issues ...
Similarity:
34%
The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1978)
Genre: Drama
Country: West Germany
Duration: 88 min.
Story: Three people rob a bank to help a day care center that's in debt. Wolf is captured, Werner identified, police suspect Christa is the third. She and Werner ask Hans, a clergyman, to launder the money and give it to the kindergarten. He refuses. ...
Style: crime drama, tense, melancholic, art house, political drama
Plot: bank robbery, female protagonist, social realism, moral dilemma, class conflict, moral ambiguity, social activism, friendship, anti establishment, redemption, police chase, lgbt ...
Time: 70s
Similarity:
34%