Best movies like Idavappathi

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.

The son of a Vietnam War Veteran must deal with neighborhood bullies as well as his dad's post-traumatic stress disorder while growing up in the deep south in the 1970's.

During the British Raj, the orphan of a British soldier poses as a Hindu and is torn between his loyalty to a Buddhist mystic and aiding the English secret service.

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

Summoned from an ashram in Tibet, Ace finds himself on a perilous journey into the jungles of Africa to find Shikaka, the missing sacred animal of the friendly Wachati tribe. He must accomplish this before the wedding of the Wachati's Princess to the prince of the warrior Wachootoos. If Ace fails, the result will be a vicious tribal war.

Solomon, who belongs to a band, is in love with Soshanna, who hails from an upper class family. The story spells how Solomon manages to win over all the obstacles to marry Soshanna.

A young Prince Asoka works to perfect his skills in battle and also deals with family conflict. During a struggle with one of his step-brothers, his mother urges Asoka to escape to stay alive. While away, Asoka meets Kaurwaki and falls in love, but must use his skills as a warrior to protect her. A dangerous and heartbreaking web of conspiracy follows, which leads Asoka to embrace a Buddhist path.

An Arab prince masquerades as a tour guide for rich women in order to enrich himself.

The love story of an abused English girl and a Chinese Buddhist in a time when London was a brutal and harsh place to live.

A Protestant Irish family is caught up in a conflict between Irish Republicans and the British army.

The film was commissioned in 1988 by Leonard Stern as the first of a series on celebrity businessmen and finished in 1991. Back then, the only way for a film to be seen was on television or in the theater. Donald threatened to sue any broadcaster or distributor that took on the film. In effect, it was suppressed. It was screened twice in back-to-back standing room only showings at the Bridgehampton Community House on July 3, 1991, the same day that Donald announced his engagement to Marla Maples.

The story is about a young girl, Kaya (Udita Goswami) , living in the beautifully serene valley of Spiti, waiting to join a Buddhist monastery, an idea which has been fed to her all her life by her father (Mohan Agashe) and one which she has never questioned. When Lama Norbu, a senior lama from the monastery has a dream that the Buddhist teacher, the Rinpoche has been reborn as a young child, he sends Kaya to Delhi on a mission to bring him back to the monastery.

As the denizens of a Tibetan village prepare for their arduous annual trek to exchange salt for grain, the community's allegiances are split between aging chieftain Tinle (Thilen Lhondup) and rebellious young Karma (Gurgon Kyap). Tinle tries to maintain his clout and preserve obedience to ancient customs when Karma challenges the old man's power.

After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.

A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.

Southern Baptist Sissies is the live film of the GLAAD Award winning play by Del Shores. Southern Baptist Sissies is the story of four boys who are gay growing up in the Southern Baptist Church and how they each deal differently with the conflict between the teachings of the church and their sexuality.

A rowdy ex-college boy who, after a hazing session, loses his heart to first year student Nirjara, a traditional Brahmin girl.

A violent college student softens his tough exterior when he falls in love with a shy Brahmin woman. Just as the ice between them begins to melt, he's attacked viciously and loses his mental stability.

True story of the life of Jimmy Piersall, who battled mental illness to achieve stardom in major league baseball.

Filmed over twenty years, Tibetan Buddhist Master Choogyal Namkhai Norbu watches as his western-born son, Yeshi, who was recognized at birth as the reincarnation of a famous spiritual master, considers departing from tradition to embrace the modern world.

A taxi driver with a tragic past sees an opportunity for redemption when he encounters a woman sold into prostitution. Wanting to help her escape, he has to deal with the wrath of the brothel madam.

Based on the Buddhist tale of Angulimala, a dreaded serial killer, Psycho tells the story of a blind man who gets involved in a murder mystery. trying to save his lover from a psychopath who has kidnapped her.

The film tells the story of Chinese guerrillas fighting for the Allied cause in Burma during Early in World War II, Chungking schoolteacher Lin Yang is recruited to help with the dangerous mission of protecting the Allied supply line from Burma into China. In spite of the danger involved, her determination to help is strengthened when one of her young students is killed in a Japanese air raid. Some time later, she is part of a group of Allied representatives departing from Lashio, on a bus traveling the Burma Road back to China. A bridge outage forces them to spend the night in a monastery along the way, and during the night they watch in horror as a supply convoy of trucks is bombed by Japanese planes. The timing and accuracy of the raid brings them to realize that either one of their group, or perhaps the priest in the monastery, is really an enemy agent

Western culture treats mental disorders primarily through biomedical psychiatry, but filmmakers Phil Borges and Kevin Tomlinson reveal a growing movement of professionals and survivors who are forging alternative treatments that focus on recovery and turning mental “illness” into a positive transformative experience.

An idealist Sanskrit teacher deals with issues like commercialization of religion as things around him change and he struggles to keep up. But is he ready to pay the price?

Amar Kanwar’s A Season Outside is a thought provoking quest to investigate the futility or validity of violence. The film employs several codes of conflict and discord—from the territorial border of India and Pakistan to visuals of Tibetan refugee settlement— to satiate the curiosity to posit violence as a credible response to hurt and harm. It questions its worthiness as device to exact revenge on the transgressor.

Nasty Piece of Work is a neo-noir thriller set in the fetish underworld of Los Angeles. The story is told from the point of view of three characters: a lifestyle dominatrix, a Buddhist stripper/saint, and a conflicted private investigator.

Karma Aur Holi is entirely shot in New York and its suburbs and Priceton/New Jersey. The film deals with relationships of many dimensions, their conflicts and resolutions on the day of Holi, which is an indian festival of colors that signifies a new beginning. A contemporary film, wherein the story revolves around the identity of Indian families living in the USA, the cross cultural differences in evolution - do Indians, having migrated from their native land adapt to the difference in culture and are they ready to give up their inherent cultural inhibitions. "Karma, Confessions and Holi" is a film about Indian families, their relationships with fello Americans. their own internal and inter-personal conflicts. First English language film with prominent Indian and International stars.

Story of four young monks left alone in their remote monastery in Myanmar. Shot entirely in newly-opened Myanmar with non-actors, the film bridges spirit, cinema, and traditional Burmese storytelling to open a view onto an unseen world.

One among the few sci-fi movies in Malayalam, 'Bharathan Effect' tells the story of Bharathan (Biju Menon) who is a genius inventor struggling to make ends meet. His efforts are under appreciated by his wife Geetha (Geethu Mohandas) and causes constant conflict between them. After apparently seeing an object float in air defying gravity; Bharathan gets obsessed by the whole idea. He tries to research the topic with the financial assistance of his landlord (Jagathy Sreekumar) despite the entire community branding him as a lunatic. The rest of the film deals with his quest to find the truth behind the strange phenomenon of anti-gravity that he witnesses.

On April 9, 1948, a Jewish militia entered the Palestinian village of Deir Yassin and killed over 100 villagers. Soon after, a mental hospital was built on the ruins. The first patients to be committed were Holocaust survivors. A legend says that to this day, the survivors have been communicating with the ghosts of the village. Forgiveness tells the story of David Adler, a 20-year old American-Israeli who decides to move back to Israel, only to find himself committed to a mental institution that sits on the ruins of a Palestinian village called Deir Yassin. Flashbacks and flashforwards reveal the events that led up to his hospitalization.

Mithun Madhavan (Mohanlal) appears as a Mumbai-based Information Technology industrialist but a psychologist in reality. Priyan (Indrajith) is a software engineer working under Mithun. Priyan is in love with his uncle's daughter Dhwani (Parvathi) who was born and brought up in Chennai. The rest of the story deals with the disturbing events in Dhwani's life and how Mithun helps her overcome those.

When chef Hank makes a deal with frozen food executive Maggie to save his restaurant, their unexpected attraction complicates matters, leaving Maggie conflicted: Does she choose her allegiance to her cut-throat boss or does she partner - both in work and in love - with Hank?

Theda Bara plays a Javanese priestess who elopes with an English military officer (Hugh Thompson). Bara's Bavahari becomes a celebrated dancer but is murdered onstage by a vengeful Buddhist priest (Victor Kennard).

A Zen priest in San Francisco and cookbook author use Zen Buddhism and cooking to relate to everyday life.