An early Indian film explored themes of faith, hope, societal struggles, and the role of prayer or devotion in overcoming adversity
Dr. Madhurika, a career-focused woman, marries Narendra on condition .of no children or interference. Her neglect of home and close ties with colleague Dr. Gaurish spark Narendra's jealousy. However, when Narendra helps Gaurish's wife and a stranger, Madhurika's own jealousy leads her to embrace a domesticated role
Shares 2 cast members · Same director
Nightingale (Kokila) is a 1937 Hindi social family drama film directed by Sarvottam Badami
Shares 2 cast members · Same director
Young, bored millionaire (Motilal) has a bet with his doctor that he will go out into the world without taking any money and survive for 300 days.
Shares 2 cast members · Same director
The story of a poor young woman, separated by prejudice from her husband and baby, is interwoven with tales of intolerance from throughout history.
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Sarah Rector, a Black girl born in early 20th-century Oklahoma Indian Territory, believes there is oil beneath the barren land she’s allotted, and her faith proves right. As greedy oil sharks close in, Sarah turns to family, friends, and some Texas wildcatters to maintain control of her oil-rich land, eventually becoming among the nation's first Black female millionaires—at eleven years old.
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The family-friendly movie explores the transformational role prayer plays in the lives of the Jordan family. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan, a middle-class couple who seemingly have it all – great jobs, a beautiful daughter, their dream home. But appearances can be deceiving. In reality, the Jordan’s marriage has become a war zone and their daughter is collateral damage. With the help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman, Elizabeth discovers she can start fighting for her family instead of against them. Through a newly energized faith, Elizabeth and Tony’s real enemy doesn’t have a prayer.
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After he refuses to disavow his faith, a devout Christian student must prove the existence of God or else his college philosophy professor will fail him.
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A period adventure with Motilal in a famous dual role. Judhajit (Sankatha), the outlawed brother of the king of Udayanagar, wants revenge on the royal family. He had left the palace with one of the king's twin sons who grew up as Indrajit, the twin of the drunken and debauched Prince Shatrujit (both Motilal) due to marry Princess Chanda (Sabita Devi). Indrajit is sent to kidnap her as part of the vendetta but the two fall in love. Shatrujit is too drunk to go through the marriage procedure and the dewan (Ansari) asks Indrajit to impersonate his brother. Indrajit is now torn between his love for Chanda and his promise to the dewan, but the story ends happily,
Shares 2 cast members
Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.
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In 1938, Mahatma Gandhi's groundbreaking philosophies sweep across India, but 8-year-old Chuyia, newly widowed, must go reside with other outcast widows on an ashram. Her presence transforms the ashram as she befriends two of her compatriots.
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Dr. Madhurika, a career-focused woman, marries Narendra on condition .of no children or interference. Her neglect of home and close ties with colleague Dr. Gaurish spark Narendra's jealousy. However, when Narendra helps Gaurish's wife and a stranger, Madhurika's own jealousy leads her to embrace a domesticated role
Do Mastane is a 1958 Hindi film directed by Harish Tara.
Motilal in the role of a doctor, wants to join the revolutionaries along with his girlfriend played by Shobhana Samarth. Both are opposed by their parents. The parents find it difficult to come to terms with what they consider as 'western influences' on their children in clothes and thinking. Several humorous situations arise in the process with everything finally ending to the satisfaction of both generations.
The narrative follows the classic golden-age trope of a complicated love story. The romance between the characters played by Motilal and Suraiya is tested by rigid family hierarchies, societal expectations, and the pressures of arranged marriages
Yusuf moves to Bombay with his wife to prove himself but gets entangled with a glamorous woman, putting his marriage and values to the test.
India's second sound film beautifully narrates the ancient Persian love story of Shirin and Farhad from Nizami Ganjavi's Shahnameh. Farhad, a gifted sculptor, falls deeply in love with Queen Shirin. King Khusro, wishing to keep them apart, tasks Farhad with an impossible feat: demolishing the mighty Besutun mountain on his own. Despite the immense challenge, Farhad's unwavering love drives him. The film concludes with their poignant union in death, as Shirin's tomb miraculously opens to receive him.
A period adventure with Motilal in a famous dual role. Judhajit (Sankatha), the outlawed brother of the king of Udayanagar, wants revenge on the royal family. He had left the palace with one of the king's twin sons who grew up as Indrajit, the twin of the drunken and debauched Prince Shatrujit (both Motilal) due to marry Princess Chanda (Sabita Devi). Indrajit is sent to kidnap her as part of the vendetta but the two fall in love. Shatrujit is too drunk to go through the marriage procedure and the dewan (Ansari) asks Indrajit to impersonate his brother. Indrajit is now torn between his love for Chanda and his promise to the dewan, but the story ends happily,
Nightingale (Kokila) is a 1937 Hindi social family drama film directed by Sarvottam Badami
An earthquake separates wealthy siblings Premnath and Mala, leaving Premnath with amnesia and in love with beggar girl Mira. As Mala seeks to reunite with her brother, the film questions whether true love can bridge societal divides.
Mumtaz Mahal tells the story of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, tracing their deep love, her death during childbirth, and his grief that leads him to build the Taj Mahal in her memory.
Raunaq (1944), directed by Dwarka Khosla, is a Hindi social drama set in 1940s Bombay. It stars Swaran Lata, Noor Mohammed Charlie, Chandra Mohan, Motilal, and Subarnalata .
Set in 1910, its modern hero, Kanwal (Motilal), invents a ray that records pain and pleasure photographically. His experiments render him blind. Country lass Meera (Shamim) tends to him and they fall in love. Later Meera meets a sage (Shah) who has an expensive magic potion that cures blindness. Unable to afford it, Meera kills the sage, grabs the medicine and goes to Kanwal’s house while all nature protests her actions. There the evil Diwan (Bhagwandas) and his accomplices steal the medicine, cure Kanwal and take the credit. Kanwal, who can now see but does not recognise Meera, accuses her of murder but eventually realises the truth.
A social woman-centered film interrogating aspects of feudal patriarchy. The painter Ashok (Surendra) who loves the orphaned Vimala (Bibbo) is distressed to learn that she is due to marry Jagdish (Yakub). He paints Vimala's portraits with a frenzied obsession and becomes a famous artist. Paralleling this love story is the decline in Ashok's family fortunes.
An elder brother's sacrifice to educate his sibling leads to family strife when the younger brother marries into a rival family, sparking betrayal and tragedy that tests their bonds.
An early social drama centered on a married woman's life and domestic struggles/triumphs.
A righteous king faces a divine test when celestial powers send a fairy disguised as a desperate woman seeking his mercy, challenging his moral judgment and wisdom.
An early Indian romantic drama exploring an unusual or unique love story and its challenges.
A parable about human suffering and capitalist enterprise. The village head man has bandits attack the house of Ramesh to settle a feud. They kidnap the man's wife Roma, and abandon their infant son in the forest. Years later, Roma works as the nurse of a kind millionaire while the boy Raghunath shares a neighbourhood house with other unemployed youths who collectively dream of starting a soap factory. The father is a beggar on the streets. None of them know of each other's existence until circumstances bring the family together...
Kalyani is married into an aristocratic family. Bhuban Mohan Choudhury is unhappy because his daughter-in-law, Kalyani, has dark skin and is illiterate. Despite this, Kalyani becomes the heart of the family. Over time, Bhuban undergoes a transformation as he witnesses how lovingly Kalyani takes care of everyone in the household. However, Bhuban’s son-in-law, Phatik Chand Basu, who lives in the house, conspires and breaks the unity of the family. Can Kalyani bring the family back together?
Chandragupta is a 1934 historical film that chronicles the rise of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Mauryan Empire. Directed by A.R. Kardar, the film depicts Chandragupta's journey from a humble background to becoming a powerful emperor, guided by the strategic brilliance of his advisor, Chanakya. The narrative likely covers the political turmoil of ancient India, including the decline of the Nanda Empire, the threat posed by Alexander the Great's invasion, and Chandragupta's efforts to unite various kingdoms to establish a vast and influential empire.
A romantic tragedy where two earnest lovers Laila and Majnu couldn't succeed in their love and meet their demise eventually.
Set during the Pandavas’ exile in the Mahabharata, the story focuses on Draupadi living incognito as a maid-in-waiting named Sairandhari in King Virata’s palace. The arrogant Keechak becomes obsessed with her, prompting Bhima (disguised as a cook) to intervene and kill Keechak to protect her honor.
An everyday man, Govindlal (secretly wealthy Seth Bansilal), wins a Kashmir trip in a crossword puzzle, as does unemployed Sumant. They land in the same hotel, leading to a hilarious room mix-up. As Sumant and Bansilal's niece Shashi fall for each other amidst comic blunders, a blackmail plot by another guest, Manjri, adds to the chaos.
Young, bored millionaire (Motilal) has a bet with his doctor that he will go out into the world without taking any money and survive for 300 days.
A 1951 Bengali Thriller Film directed by Naresh Mitra.
Based on a popular legend, this silent film tells the story of the fairy Bakavali and her divine flower, the Gul, which possesses healing powers. Taj-ul-Mulk, a prince from the East, seeks the flower to cure his blind father. The legend's origins are debated: one version traces it to a 19th-century translation of a Persian tale, while another points to a 16th-century narrative from Abely Sheikh. The story was a favorite on the Parsee stage, particularly the scenes where Taj-ul-Mulk battles his villainous brothers, who steal the flower. The tale also features Bakavali turning to stone and her eventual human rebirth.
Prince Sudhirchandra goes into hiding as an infant when his father gets overthrown by Naagraya, a greedy minister. After 20 years, Sudhirchandra returns to reclaim his throne.
Alibaba was a simple, hardworking, middle-class personality who once went to a forest for some purpose. When he entered that forest he found a deep secret, a formula to enter a cave. Actually, that cave was filled with robbed jewelry and gold coins. He took some with him and became very rich. But those robbers realized that something was missing from their hidden treasures. So, they began their investigation of the lost treasure. But in the meantime, a neighbor of Alibaba also tried for the same thing but he got caught and killed by the robbers. After that, the robbers successfully traced those hidden treasures, entered the city, and found Alibaba. But Marjina and Abdullah understand their plans and catch them by their sheer intelligence and wit.
After a failed conquest, Emperor Ajaatshatru pretends to be a soldier in the enemy's army to weaken them from the inside. However, he falls in love with Amrapali, a well-respected royal courtesan, and must decide what his main priority is.
Sada is imprisoned for a crime his friend, Daulatrao, committed. Suspecting that his wife and Daulatrao may be having an affair, Sada escapes to kidnap his own newborn.
Shudhu Ekti Bachhar is a romantic comedy that is based on a comical situation which finds the female protagonist having to marry a complete stranger according to her father's will. The stranger she is to be married is a funny boy whom she is at cross ends with. The story goes on with this baseline, that they agree to stay married for a year and the comedy rolls on there forth. There are many quarrels, misunderstandings and childlike fights, which all add to the comical content of the movie. All characters add life to the story with hilarious punch-lines and comical episodes. And in the end the two main leads falling in love with each other and living happily ever after.
A railway porter, Nitai, gains a reputation as a poet after participating in many debates. However, his life is filled with tragedy when he gets involved with women he is not supposed to be with.
The simple-minded Rajat (Barua) loves neighbour Jayanti (Menaka Devi). He is advised on how to court her by his streetsmart cousin Bishwanath (Sanyal) and Bishwanath's friend Samir (Bannerjee). Bishwanath and Samir try to get Rajat's miserly guardian Bagalcharan (Choudhury) to loan them money so that Samir can make a 'European-style art film'. The guardian is admitted to the clinic of a doctor Gajanan where he falls into the clutches of two professional crooks Natoraj (Indu Mukherjee) and Supta (Molina Devi). Supta wants Rajat and they try to kidnap her...
Suren, the son of a zamindar of Bangladesh, lives his life in his own way. He takes up the private tutor job for a girl whose elder sister is Madhabi, an ill-fated widow. But after a few days, he returns to his rich family and marries. But he cannot forget Madhabi who loves him like an elder and caring sister. In the meantime, when Madhabi's sister-in-law drives her out of the house, Suren hears that and arranges to return the property to her.
A mythological or fantasy drama inspired by Kalidasa's classic Sanskrit poem, featuring a lonely lover sending a cloud as a messenger to his beloved, exploring themes of separation, longing, and nature's role in conveying emotions
Adapted from a story by Kazi Nazrul Islam this film concerns love and revenge among a tribe of snake charmers led by Jahar (Nawab) who is searching for his 100th poisonous snake so as to show how he can magically cure its deadly bite.
Chitrasen inadvertently humiliates Gabal Rishi, who approaches Bhagwan Shri Kishan and prays that the former be punished. Kishanji readily agrees to punish Chitrasen by beheading him with the Sudarshan Chakra. When no amount of pleas for mercy are adhered to, a compassionate Subhadra, moved by Chitrangini's plight, asks her spouse, Arjun, to intervene. The later, at first, refuses to take up arms against Kishanji, his friend, but subsequently relents - resulting in war - that will not only end their friendship - but may well also destroy the universe and annihilate Arjun, his brothers and their entire army.
Amar Prem is a movie directed by N.M. Kelkar featuring Madhubala, Alka Rani.
A mythological and devotional drama based on the life of Bhartrhari, a legendary king who renounced his throne and worldly life to become an ascetic and poet, known for his philosophical and moral verses. The film explored themes of renunciation, spiritual enlightenment, and the transient nature of worldly pleasures.
Tired of his life, a boat man gets hit in the eye by a bullet, blinding him by a young lady. They soon fall in love each other, but this is not liked by the older lady as she wants young to marry another man.
